Pixar Animation Studios is bracing for layoffs later this year.
According to Tech Crunch, the Disney-owned studio is expected to layoff 20% of their 1,300-person workforce. However, The Hollywood Reporter is hearing that the expected number of layoffs could be higher. The layoff are expected to hit creators hired to create content for Disney+.
This is the newest round of recent layoffs for different branches of The Walt Disney Company. Last June, Pixar was hit by the Disney layoffs, which affected 75 employees, including Lightyear director Angus MacLane and producer Galyn Susman. The company also laid off employees at 20th Century, Searchlight, and their D23 branch.
Pixar is still finding their footing at the box office after the COVID pandemic and the failure of Lightyear at the box office. The hope is to get the storied back to the point of success, Pixar has produced 27 feature films, which have earned over $15 billion at the worldwide box office. The studio has also has earned 23 Academy Awards, 10 Golden Globe Awards, and 11 Grammy Awards.
Four upcoming films have been announced, Inside Out 2, directed by Kelsey Mann, to be released on June 14, 2024, Elio, directed by Adrian Molina, to be released on June 13, 2025, and two untitled films on March 6, 2026, and June 19, 2026, one of which is expected to be Toy Story 5. Additionally, I have heard multiple times that the studio is considering going back to two billion movies with Incredibles 3 as well as a third Finding Nemo film (a title I heard at one time was Finding Marlin). While I can NOT confirm the latter two movies will happen, what is certain is that Pixar is finding ways to become one of the top studios in Hollywood once again.
