May 25, 2024

PIXAR IS LAYING OFF 14% OF ITS WORKFORCE AS DISNEY SCALES BACK CONTENT:

Long-expected layoffs are hitting Pixar Animation Studios on Tuesday.

Pixar will lay off about 175 employees, or around 14% of the studio’s workforce, a spokesperson for parent company Walt Disney told CNBC. The cuts come as CEO Bob Iger works toward his overarching mandate to focus on the quality of its content, not the quantity.

Layoffs hit other Disney businesses last year, but Pixar’s cuts were delayed because of production schedules. Initially, it was reported that 20% of the animation studio’s employees would be laid off.

Iger, who returned to the mantle of CEO in late 2022, has been working to reverse the company’s box office woes, spurred both by the company’s content decisions and pandemic shutdowns. While Disney has seen mixed box office success with several franchises, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the company has found it challenging to get its animated features to resonate with audiences.

Or as Ed Morrissey paraphrased this month: Iger: We’re Reducing Output Because Audiences Realized We Serve Up C***.

Fortunately, despite the sluggish economy, one veteran Pixar employee bounced back surprisingly fast:

Posted at 1:44 pm by Ed Driscoll