According to Reuters, The Walt Disney Company has let go 75 positions at its animated subsidiary Pixar.
Two of the people let go are Angus MacLane and Galyn Susman. Many will recognize MacLane’s name because he helmed last year’s Toy Story spin-off/prequel Lightyear. He was integral to the company’s senior creative and had previously assisted on films such as Coco and Toy Story 4.
Susman has been with the company since the original Toy Story and was one of the head producers of Lightyear.
While not confirmed, it’s hard to imagine Lightyear’s failure at the box office not being a factor for the layoffs.
The film reportedly grossed over $226.4 million worldwide against a $200 million production budget. Despite a minor profit, it was still considered a box office bomb, losing the studio an estimated $106 million for the company.
Pixar’s VP of Worldwide Publicity, Michael Agulnek, was also let go.
The cuts reportedly happened on May 23, and were a part of Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger’s original plan to restructure the company.
These jobs are among 7,000 the House of Mouse has been forced to let go, and will contribute to the $5.5 billion in costs the company was looking to save.
SOURCE: https://www.reuters.com/business/walt-disneys-pixar-animation-eliminates-75-positions-2023-06-03/
