The studio behind Disney's biggest summer hit is also absorbing some of its harshest cuts. Despite Toy Story 5 closing in on $1 billion at the box office and poised to become the franchise's top earner, Pixar is taking the brunt of a new round of layoffs across Disney's film division, with most of its cuts hitting production and operations roles, Variety reports. Deadline reports that the Pixar cuts are in the "high single percentile," which works out to around 100 of Pixar's 1,100 staff.
A Disney spokesperson said several hundred jobs are also being eliminated across corporate units including ESPN. National Geographic is seeing many of the TV-side reductions. Employees were notified Tuesday, the latest trimming after Disney eliminated about 1,000 marketing positions in April. At that time, CEO Josh D'Amaro told staff the company was reshaping operations to be leaner and more tech-focused.
Sources tell Variety that the Pixar cuts reflect a shift in production volume and the current slate, as Disney narrows its output and leans harder into theatrical releases that can later bolster streaming. Sequels like Toy Story 5 and Inside Out 2 have done well but Pixar's original films have had a tougher run post-pandemic, a challenge executives partly attribute to sending titles like Soul, Luca, and Turning Red straight to Disney+ during COVID. Deadline notes, however, that Hoppers took in close to $400 million worldwide earlier this year, well ahead of The Mandalorian and Grogu from Disney's Lucasfilm subsidiary. It took in around $344 million, making it the least successful release in the Star Wars franchise.
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