WellingtonScreen industry directory
A superhero costume fitting at Wētā Workshop.

Wētā Workshop brings imaginary worlds to life. It creates concept designs, physical effects, collectibles, immersive visitor experiences, and games for the entertainment and creative industries.

Its most famous works include ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, ‘Avatar’, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’, and ‘Dune’. It also creates immersive visitor experiences. These include ‘Gallipoli: The Scale of our War’, ‘Expo 2020 Dubai’s Mobility Pavilion’, and ‘Wētā Workshop Unleashed’. Wētā Workshop’s ground-breaking work has earned it many international awards.

Inside its facility, Wētā Workshop can execute almost any creative project to the highest quality and deliver it anywhere in the world.

For more than 30 years, the team at Wētā Workshop have designed and built speciality suits, mixed reality experiences, and sculptures of monumental proportions. They have also made high-tech weapons, moving vehicles, and entire worlds with rich cultures and histories. Projects range from film, TV, and gaming to themed attractions, collectibles, exhibitions, and public art. Wētā Workshop is passionate about projects that ignite imaginations.

Whether a small-scale project or a blockbuster film, the team at Wētā Workshop has the same passion, creativity, and craftsmanship for everything.

The design studio and manufacturing departments work together to achieve the best results for clients.

A person wearing a black teeshirt and black cap uses an air brush to paint the face of an oversized soldier statue.
A person wearing a black teeshirt and latex gloves cleans prop swords in a workshop.
A computer-generated image of an enormous worm slithering through dunes in a desert.
Two people working on a computer to create special effects for films.

Manufacturing

Part workshop, part creative labyrinth. The manufacturing floor is a hive of activity, with 17 departments collaborating under one roof. Wētā Workshop can help with:

  • textiles
  • 3D modelling
  • 3D milling
  • 3D printing
  • leatherwork
  • metalwork
  • engineering
  • woodworking
  • paint
  • casting
  • sword smithing
  • sculpture
  • animatronics
  • costume
  • props
  • hair
  • makeup FX.

Design Studio

Wētā Workshop’s design studio is a master of world-building. Known for developing the lush forests of Pandora and the sweeping landscapes of Middle-Earth. With good design, a fictional world will live with audiences long after the doors open, and the lights come on.

Wētā Workshop’s approach is cinematic. It dives deep into the story or idea, working with clients to establish a unique look and feel for their vision. Wētā Workshop has helped conceptualise new worlds and societies for ‘Avatar’ and ‘District 9’. It has brought to life worlds such as Middle-earth and Dune in vivid detail. It has designed (and then built) the iconic robots from projects such as ‘M3GAN’, ‘I Am Mother’, ‘Chappie’, and ‘Elysium’. Wētā Workshop’s designers, art directors, and production staff collaborate to give clients something they’ve never seen before.

Wētā Workshop is a diverse company, servicing the world’s creative industries. Other divisions include:

A person creating CGI at Wētā Workshop.