The layoffs at Pixar, which were announced back in January, are expected to happen today. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the animation giant is expected to lose about 175 of its employees (approximately 14 percent of the workforce) today in what is seen as the biggest restructure in the company’s history. Prior to the layoffs, Pixar employed 1,300 people in total. The number of employees being let go today is less than the original 20 percent estimated by some news sources earlier this year.
In January, Disney, Pixar’s parent company, also went through some layoffs, but the workforce reduction at Pixar was delayed due to production schedules. With the exception of Win or Lose, Disney+ series slated for later this year, the studio will no longer focus on streaming projects and will zero in on feature work.
After suffering some setbacks with the release of 2021’s Lightyear, which was both a critical and box office failure, the studio bounced back remarkably with last year’s Oscar-nominated feature Lightyear, which went on to earn over $500 million globally and became the studio’s biggest original hit since 2017’s Coco. Prior to that, Pixar had to skip theatrical releases for three of its big titles (Luca, Coco and Turning Red) and send them directly to Disney+ due to the Covid pandemic.
Pixar is expected to have a solid summer thanks to the release of the new sequel Inside Out 2 (directed by Kelsey Mann) which opens on June 14 in theaters in the U.S. The trailer for the movie, which introduces several new emotions to the world of the original story’s young girl who is experiencing puberty, became the most-watched trailer in the company’s history (with 157 million views in the first 24 hour of release). The studio will be taking the movie to Annecy as well. Pixar’s upcoming feature releases include the original title, Elio (delayed from 2024) slated for a June 2025 release and Toy Story 5 in 2026.
Here is the memo Pixar president Jim Morris sent to Pixar staff today (Tuesday May 21).
Hello everyone.
I have spoken to you many times over the last year about our pending move away from series production for Disney+, the return to our focus on feature films, and the reduction in our team that would accompany that. That day is here, and while it is not coming as a surprise to anyone, it is one of the hardest changes we’ve had to make, as it means we will be parting with a number of talented and dedicated colleagues and friends.
Today, leaders will begin the process of notifying employees whose positions are being impacted. Calendar invites to speak with a leader have already gone out to those individuals, and we anticipate we will have connected with everyone impacted by the end of the day.
I want to assure you that will be providing extensive support as our colleagues start to transition out of the studio. We are committed to ensuring that their departure is handled with the utmost respect and care at every stage. This is important to me, and I understand how important this is to all of us in the Pixar community. I will host a brief Studio Meeting via Zoom this afternoon at 5:00 to talk more about today’s announcement.
Despite the challenges in our industry over the past few years, you have all consistently shown up to contribute, collaborate, innovate, lead, and do great work at this studio. I give you my deepest thanks, and for those who will be leaving us, I am hopeful that our paths will cross again, both professionally and personally.
Jim
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Variety.
