The company was founded in 1988 by former ILM member Craig Barron, former ILM matte painter Michael Pangrazio, and effects producer Krystyna Demkowicz. Matte World later adopted digital processes and became known as Matte World Digital in 1997 (after their work on First Contact). The first film which Matte World worked on was Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ in 1989. The company has since worked on such films as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Batman Returns, Casino, Independence Day, The Truman Show, Con Air, Armageddon, X-Men, The Ring, and The Last Samurai. The first film the company worked on under the name Matte World Digital was Paramount Pictures' Academy Award-winning Titanic.