"Across the Spider-Verse’s animators allegedly worked under unsustainable conditions", 23 June 2023

In the years-long buildup to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’s release, Sony...proudly touted how it had hired over 1,000 animators in order to bring the artistically ambitious project to fruition...According to a number of artists who contributed to the film, however, the working conditions they were made to operate under during the film’s production were unsustainable, erratic, and largely the result of producer Phil Lord frequently overriding Across the Spider-Verse’s three directors in order to make endless last-minute changes.

In a rather damning new report from Vulture, four animators who worked directly on Across the Spider-Verse described the project as a grueling professional crucible that drove around 100 of their colleagues to leave before the film was fully finished as those who stayed were “pushed to work more than 11 hours a day, seven days a week” at certain points. 

According to the artists...virtually all of the struggles they dealt with on the film — like long working hours and constant revisions to already-completed shots — could be attributed to Lord’s management style...he allegedly demanded final approval of all of the film’s shots while his co-writer, fellow producer, and frequent collaborator Chris Miller was mostly absent day to day...

...Sony Pictures Imageworks CEO Michelle Grady and Across the Spider-Verse producer Amy Pascal said that while production on the movie was definitely a challenge, Lord shouldn’t be seen as the source for the movie’s delays...

...Pascal said... “...To the workers who felt demoralized by having to revise final renders five times in a row, I guess, welcome to making a movie.”...