Disney has not been having the best time for quite a while now, and neither has any of its subsidiaries. Recently, it has been announced that Pixar will be going through some massive changes as numerous employees will be laid off.

The layoffs began last year and are part of Disney’s CEO Bob Iger’s plan to manage The Walt Disney Company’s costs effectively. While there had been warnings about this earlier, fans do not seem to support this regardless of how it is affecting the company.

The Walt Disney Company Has Been Laying Off Employees Since 2023

Bob Iger
Bob Iger | Picture by nagi usano | Source: Wikimedia Commons

In February 2023, CEO Bob Iger revealed that The Walt Disney Company would let go of thousands of employees as a part of cost-cutting measures (via Deadline). During the company’s Q1 earnings call, he said 7000 employees from across the company’s various divisions would be laid off. He said:

I have enormous respect and appreciate for the dedication of our employees worldwide. While this is necessary to address the challenges we face today, I do not make this decision lightly.

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Months later, NBC News reported that as part of the company’s plan to cut down $5.5 billion in costs, 75 employees of the Pixar Animation Studios were laid off on May 23, 2023. This reportedly included the creatives behind the failure of Lightyear. The movie’s director Angus MacLane (Toy Story 4, Coco), and producer Galyn Susman, who has been working with the company since 1995, were among them.

Pixar is Undergoing Major Restructure as Employees Get Laid Off

Jim Morris
Jim Morris | Source: 3DVF on YouTube

Fast forward to this year, The Hollywood Reporter has reported that 14% of Pixar’s workforce approximately 1,300 employees (that is, 175) will be laid off. While employees were aware of this, it must have come as a shock to many.

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However, if it is any consolation, not 20% of the total employees have been laid off, like it had been reported by some outlets earlier. Pixar president Jim Morris issued an official memo to its staff regarding this layoff, in which he claimed that they would be ensuring that everything happens smoothly. The memo read:

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.

Moving on, the animation company will shift its focus from direct-to-streaming series to its feature films. Hopefully, this change will redeem its reputation and revenue.

The News of These Layoffs Has Upset Fans

A still from Luca from Walt Disney Studios
A still from Luca | Source: Walt Disney Studios

These layoffs will cause the biggest restructuring in Pixar’s history. While it remains to be seen if letting go of these employees will do harm or good, fans have already begun reacting to the news and are not very happy.

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Here is what some of them have said on X:

 

The company is taking such drastic measures as a means of cost-cutting, but this does not change the fact that thousands of professionals will be unemployed for at least a while, and there is no telling how long they will remain that way.

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