One of the most surprising stories of the year happened back in August when the Canadian animation studio Tangent Animation, which produced the animation for Netflix’s Maya and the Three, abruptly shut down.
The company, which had studios in Toronto and Winnipeg, terminated hundreds of animation workers without notice and without paying the termination and severance pay owed to them under Canadian employment standards legislation.
When the studio failed to live up to its obligations, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) stepped in to help. IATSE represents the L.A. animation industry via The Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839), and more recently launched The Canadian Animation Guild (IATSE Local 938) to represent workers in the Canadian industry, which remains largely unorganized.