Pixar Fires 75 People in Major Restructuring Plan, Lightyear Director Exits Animation Studio

Pixar Animation Studios, under the helm of Walt Disney, has reportedly undergone a significant workforce reduction after a decade of relative stability. Around 75 positions have been eliminated, including two executives associated with the commercially underperforming film Lightyear, according to industry sources.

Among those affected by the job cuts is Angus MacLane, the director of Lightyear. MacLane, an esteemed animator with a 26-year tenure at Pixar, was previously involved in the creative teams behind acclaimed films like Toy Story 4 and Coco. Another departure is Galyn Susman, the producer of Lightyear, who had been with Pixar since the release of the original Toy Story in 1995.

Attempts to reach MacLane and Susman for comment have been unsuccessful thus far. In addition to their departures, Michael Agulnek, who held the position of Pixar’s vice president of worldwide publicity since 2015, has also been laid off. Agulnek has yet to respond to inquiries seeking comment on the matter.

Lightyear Director Loses Job Among 75 others At Pixar

Pixar Animation Studios recently underwent a restructuring that involved the elimination of several positions, including those of director Angus MacLane and producer Galyn Susman.

MacLane, an animator with an impressive 26-year career at Pixar, contributed to the creative teams behind acclaimed films like Toy Story 4 and Coco. Susman, who had been associated with Pixar since the original Toy Story in 1995, served as a producer for the film Lightyear.

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75 people have been laid off from Pixar, including Angus MacLane and Galyn Susman.

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— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 3, 2023

Efforts to reach out to MacLane and Susman for comments have been unsuccessful thus far. Alongside their departures, Michael Agulnek, Pixar’s vice president of worldwide publicity since 2015, was also affected by the layoffs. However, Agulnek has not provided a response to inquiries seeking comment.

Pixar is widely recognized for its successful cinematic franchises, such as Toy Story, The Incredibles, and Cars. However, the film Lightyear, released approximately a year ago with a reported budget of $200 million, achieved relatively moderate worldwide ticket sales of $226.7 million and received mixed reviews from critics.

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In contrast, Pixar’s Incredibles 2, which had a similar production budget, amassed a staggering $1.2 billion in global box office revenue.

The box office performance of Lightyear was impacted by the fact that it was not shown in 14 Middle Eastern and Asian countries due to its portrayal of a same-sex relationship.

Why Did Pixar Reduce Its Workforce?

The recent job cuts at Pixar, which occurred on May 23, are part of Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger’s previously announced plan to reduce 7,000 positions and trim costs by $5.5 billion. This restructuring involved the merging of the film and television groups into a unified Disney Entertainment unit, leading to the elimination of a distribution division.

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Although the number of layoffs at Pixar is relatively small when considering their total employee base of around 1,200, these cuts are notable because Pixar serves as a creative powerhouse responsible for generating lucrative franchises and beloved characters that significantly contribute to Disney’s overall revenue.

Pixar has gained widespread acclaim for its cinematic franchises such as Toy Story, The Incredibles, and Cars. However, the film Lightyear, released approximately a year ago with a reported budget of $200 million, garnered a modest $226.7 million in worldwide ticket sales and received mixed reviews from critics.

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In contrast, Pixar’s Incredibles 2, which was reported to have had a similar production budget, achieved remarkable box office success with global sales reaching $1.2 billion, highlighting the studio’s ability to deliver substantial commercial returns.

Source: Reuters