Reuters is reporting that Pixar has laid off 75 employees in what is described as the studio’s first major job cut at the studio in a decade. Among those affected by the move were Lightyear director Angus MacLane and producer Galyn Susman. Both were longtime employees at the studio. In addition to Lightyear, MacLane was part of the creative teams behind the last three Toy Story movies and co-directed Finding Dory, while Susman began her career at the studio as a lighting supervisor on Toy Story, and was associate producer on Ratatouille and producer on Toy Story 4.
Michael Agulnek, the studio’s VP of worldwide publicity since 2015, was also among the employees who were laid off.
The Pixar layoffs are described as part of Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger’s plans to eliminate 7,000 jobs and cut $5.5 billion in expenses. The restructuring combined the film and television groups into a single Disney Entertainment unit and eliminated a division charged with distribution. Making only $226.7 million in worldwide ticket sales (and scoring only 74% on rottentomatoes.com), the studio’s 2022 release Lightyear proved to be disappointment for the studio. The studio included a lesbian major character, which became an issue in some Middle Eastern and Asian countries which have laws against LGBTQ+ visibility.
Pixar’s last round of layoffs happened in 2013, after the studio delayed the release of The Good Dinosaur for two years and eliminated 30 positions. Disney acquired Pixar in 2006. The studio’s next big release is director Peter Sohn’s Elemental, which will open nationwide on June 16th.
Source: Reuters
