Somewhere in the universe, Hellboy—the muscled, red devil comic-book hero who inspired his own movie franchise—is crying.
He’s shedding tears because, after 17 years in business, CafeFX/ComputerCafe, the Santa Maria-based visual effects design company that worked on the Hellboy films and many other films, has closed its doors.
“The current economic climate and global marketplace have made it unrealistic for us to continue to deliver the highest quality visual effects work, which has been our hallmark, at a competitive price and a sustaining profit,” CafeFX founders Jeff Barnes and David Ebner announced on the company’s website, cafefx.com. “With a résumé of over 80 award-winning feature films and hundreds of commercials, music videos, game trailers, ride projects, and broadcast opens, we are very proud of what we have achieved over the years. We end our company’s relationship with the industry we love with pride in our contributions and our heads held high.”
Barnes and Ebner founded CafeFX in the early 1990s. The company has done special effects for some of the biggest films in the industry, including the Iron Man movies, Spider-Man 3, Pan’s Labyrinth, and King Kong.
In 2010, the company considered moving out of state to garner better tax incentives, but that plan seems to have gone by the wayside.
As of press time, the Sun was unable to reach a CafeFX representative for further comment.
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This article appears in Jan 27 – Feb 3, 2011.