The future looks brighter for aspiring Japanese animators as Netflix has pitched in its support. The streaming giant has teamed up with WIT Studio to launch its own first-ever animator school, WIT Animator Academy, this April.
The mind behind Attack On Titan and The Great Pretender released an official statement earlier this week. The studio aims to develop "highly skilled animators who will support the next-generation animation industry," according to Comic Book.
With the help of Netflix, which will shoulder the tuition fees and costs of living, chosen students will attend a program developed by Sasayuri Video Training Institute. This all, reportedly, targets the creation of an "animation market that is in high demand internationally."
Anime News Network recently covered a similar report, discussing the details of the program inside WIT Animator Academy. As reported, the first course will run for six months starting this April.
Under the program, ten Japanese applicants will be recruited. The main requirement clarifies that the applicants must be Japanese residents from ages 18 to 25. They should, also, be high school graduates, including those who will finish their school year this March.
The ten chosen students will receive ¥600,000 or $5720 from Netflix to cover the program's tuition fee. Alongside this, the streaming label will, also, grant the recruits an additional ¥150,000 or $1427 for their monthly living costs.
Reports, then, pointed out that the free tuition fees and living costs will help students to "fully demonstrate their talents with peach of mind." After graduating from WIT Animator Academy, though, the scholars will work for Netflix and as a contractor at WIT Studio or Production IG.
WIT Animator Academy is the latest project between Netflix and Production IG, which is a sister company to WIT Studio. It has been three years since the streaming giant announced its "comprehensive business alliance" with the anime production companies.
A separate report from Anime News Network in 2018 revealed that the tie-up has since allowed Netflix to co-produce anime episodes and stream the materials in over 190 countries. As noted, the streaming label wanted to "strengthen its animation lineup" for its users around the globe. They, also, deemed the relationship as a "win-win-win" situation for subscribers, anime productions, and anime creators.
More than two years later, Netflix started new links with another four animation production houses to expand its anime content. They partnered with NAZ, SARU, and MAPPA, which are all from Japan, and Studio Mir from South Korea.
Reports said that the streaming service is "determined to provide content with diversity for all subscribers. To date, they have more than 200 million users across the globe.
