Walt Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios has eliminated 75 positions including those of two executives behind box office disappointment “Lightyear,” sources said on Saturday, the primary significant job cuts on the studio in a decade.
The cuts included “Lightyear” director Angus MacLane, a 26-year animator who was a part of the senior creative team on such acclaimed movies as “Toy Story 4” and “Coco.”
Galyn Susman, producer of “Lightyear,” also departed. Susman had been at Pixar because the release of the unique “Toy Story” movie in 1995.
MacLane and Susman couldn’t be reached for comment. Michael Agulnek, Pixar’s vp of worldwide publicity since 2015, was also laid off, the sources said.
He didn’t return a call looking for comment.
The cuts, which took place May 23, are a part of Walt Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger’s previously announced plan to eliminate 7,000 jobs and slash $5.5 billion in costs.
Pixar executives Angus MacLane and Galyn Susman were amongst 75 jobs cut as apart of Bob Iger’s larger job cut plans.Getty Images
That restructuring combined the film and tv groups right into a single Disney Entertainment unit and eliminated a division charged with distribution.
While small in comparison with Pixar’s worker base of about 1,200, the layoffs are notable since the studio is a creative force generating franchises and characters that drive revenue across Disney.
The cuts, which took place May 23, are a part of Walt Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger’s previously announced plan to eliminate 7,000 jobs and slash $5.5 billion in costs.Getty Images for Disney
Pixar is known for cinematic franchises including “Toy Story,” “The Incredibles” and “Cars.”
But “Lightyear,” released a yr ago with a reported budget of $200 million, brought in a modest $226.7 million in worldwide ticket sales and received a mixed critical reception.
Against this, Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” in 2018, which was reported to have had an identical production budget, had worldwide box office sales of $1.2 billion.
“Lightyear” couldn’t be shown in 14 Middle Eastern and Asian countries due to its depiction of a same-sex relationship. This had an impact on its box office performance.
Disney has implemented layoffs in every division including film and tv, streaming services and theme parks.
MacLane and Susman with Chris Evans on the “Lightyear” premiere in 2022. Dave Benett/WireImage
The last time Pixar cut jobs was in 2013, after the studio postponed the discharge of the 2015 film “The Good Dinosaur,” and removed its director, Bob Peterson. About 30 positions were eliminated.
Disney acquired Pixar in 2006 to revitalize its struggling Disney Animation.
