Wellington's Wētā FX says it is "incredibly proud" to have been part of two Oscar nominations on Wednesday morning.
The nominees for the 96th Academy Awards were announced by Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid live from the Film Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Los Angeles.
Wētā FX received a nomination in the Best Visual Effects category, for VFX Supervisor Guy Williams' work on Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3.
The company created the colossal 3.5km wide Arête ship as well as a battle sequence in the film that required 18 separate shots to be stitched together to the soundtrack of Beastie Boys hit 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn'.
It also worked on WAR IS OVER!, the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, marking the first time the company has ever been part of a nomination in that category.
WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko has been described as an "innovative short film" that used real-time rendering in 3D creation tool, Unreal Engine.
The final result gave the film a painterly animation style.
In a statement, David Conley, Executive VFX Producer at Wētā FX, said: "We are incredibly proud to have projects we have worked on recognised by the Academy, particularly our peers in the Visual Effects branch.
"This morning’s news reflects the creativity, fresh thinking, and hard work put in by our crew across the company, and we are delighted to celebrate the nominations with our clients and everyone here at Wētā FX."
The winners will be announced in a show hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on Sunday, March 10.
