The retreat stopped with the animated feature renaissance of the late 1980s. Disney grew from 125 animation employees in 1985, to 1,500 by 1995. Warner Bros., MGM, Chuck Jones, Universal, HBO and Fox opened new animtion divisions.
"Runaway production" now works in reverse, with foreign-born and trained animation talent hired by American shops to supplement full employment of U.S. artists. The IATSE chartered Orlando Local 843 in 1993, and organizing continues in San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver.
Today Local 839 approaches 3,000 members and growing ... we're the strongest we've ever been ...
1991: the fiftieth anniversary of the Disney strike. Seated, left to right: Leo Salkin, Art Babbitt, Bill Melendez. Second row, left to right: Bill Hurtz, Mrs. Hurtz, ?, ?, Dave Hilberman, Mrs. Hilberman. Back row: Irv Spence, Bill Littlejohn, George Bodle.
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