Walt Disney’s (DIS.N) Pixar Animation Studios eliminated 75 jobs, including two executives who were behind the box office failure “Lightyear”, sources reported on Saturday. This was the first major job cut at the studio for a decade.
Galyn Susman was also cut from the “Lightyear,” producer, and director. Susman has been with Pixar ever since the 1995 release of “Toy Story”.
MacLane and Susman were not available for comment. Michael Agulnek was also laid off. Sources said that he has been Pixar’s Vice President of Worldwide Publicity since 2015. He did not respond to a request for comment.
These cuts, which were made on May 23, are part Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger’s earlier announced plan to cut $5.5 billion from costs and eliminate 7,000 positions. This restructuring combined the film- and television-groups into a Disney Entertainment unit, and eliminated a distribution division.
The layoffs, while small in comparison to Pixar’s 1,200 employees, are noteworthy because the studio is an important creative force that creates franchises and characters which drive revenue for Disney.
Pixar’s cinematic franchises include “Toy Story,” The Incredibles,” and “Cars.” “Lightyear,” which was released last year with a reported $200 million budget, only brought in $226.7 millions in worldwide ticket sales. It also received mixed reviews.
In contrast, Pixar’s “Incredibles 2”, which had an allegedly similar budget in 2018, had a worldwide box office sale of $1.2 billion.
The film “Lightyear”, which depicts a relationship between two people of the same gender, was banned in 14 Middle Eastern countries and Asian nations. Its box office performance was affected by this.
Disney has laid off workers in all divisions, including film and TV, streaming services and theme park.
The last time Pixar reduced its workforce was in 2013, when the studio delayed the release of “The Good Dinosaur” and fired Bob Peterson, the director. Around 30 positions were cut.
Disney acquired Pixar to revive its struggling Disney Animation in 2006.
