Pixar, one of the most beloved animation studios worldwide, will sadly lay off a sizeable portion of its dedicated staff. Roughly 14% of its workforce was laid off in total. This news is especially shocking for many given the studio’s fame and importance to Disney. However, the studio became another casualty of the downsizing trend among corporations.
These layoffs were the result of executive decisions from Disney’s executives. Because Pixar still has many projects on its lineup, many devoted fans wonder why these changes took place and how they will affect the company’s schedule. Here is a breakdown of the biggest updates regarding these layoffs.
Pixar’s Layoffs
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Pixar laid off 14% of its staff. The studio will let go of roughly 175 workers from its 1,400 staff. As of today, this is the largest layoff that Pixar has ever done. Because of this, these layoffs will affect the studio’s productions in the future. This change comes less than a month before the highly anticipated release of Inside Out 2 on June 13.
Currently, Pixar is one of the most respected studios in animation. The studio became a staple of Disney’s lineup since their first cinematic release, Toy Story, in 1995. Some of their biggest hits include The Incredibles, Coco, Ratatouille, Wall-E, and many others. In many ways, Pixar paved the way for 3D animation to revolutionize the medium, a path DreamWorks and Blue Sky soon followed.
Why Has Pixar Made This Choice?
These layoffs are only a part of CEO Bob Iger’s cost-cutting plans for the massive corporation. Last year, according to CNBC, Disney laid off roughly four thousand of its workers. The 3D animation studio has always been one of Disney’s most acclaimed and profitable creators, making this an especially egregious choice. Furthermore, executives confirmed these weren’t just to cut costs, but to “restructure” their corporation.
While this news undoubtedly shocked many animation fans, mass layoffs have happened across many industries. By far the biggest offender would be the gaming industry, which saw many huge developers and publishers lay off a substantial part of their workforce. This even led to entire studios shutting down. With so many layoffs across so many industries in rapid succession, this leaves the fate of entertainment heading into uncharted territory.
The Studio’s Future
Despite the scale of these layoffs, they fortunately won’t be the end for the studio, not even close. According to the same source, Pixar will move away from streaming series and focus mainly on its theatrical feature films. Fortunately, the studio plans to release its upcoming series Win or Lose later this year. However, no trailer has been released at the time of writing. Furthermore, Elio is still scheduled for 2025 after its delay last year.
Despite the studio’s fame, in recent years it faced several setbacks. Most notably, the pandemic hit the studio hard, as their films Soul, Luca, and Turning Red were released exclusively on Dinsey+. Furthermore, their later films Lightyear and Elemental received lukewarm reception relative to their previous hits. However, the brilliant minds at Pixar have shown not just their talent, but their resilience to adversity.
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