The Orphanage founder Stu Maschwitz announced today that he had “the wrenching task of joining his co-founders Scott Stewart and Jonathan Rothbart in announcing that The Orphanage will be suspending operations indefinitely.” The Orphanage opened ten years ago and quickly grew, working on feature films, commercials and animation.

Most recently, The Orphanage provided lead visual effects — and an innovative workflow — for “The Spirit.” The company has worked on a long laundry list of blockbuster films, including “Iron Man,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” and “Superman Returns.”

Maschwitz was also known for creating software that pushed the visual effects industry forward. Magic Bullet, an all-digital pipeline, was created in 1999, foreshadowing the development of the DI.

“It’s no accident that our company’s name described a place for people, people who may be thrown together, but who ultimately create their own destinies,” said Maschwitz. ” We have had the privilege of working with many “Orphans” over the years, and watching them grow and take on new responsibilities has been the single greatest part of coming to work every day.”

I will add more to this story as it comes in.