Walt Disney axes 75 jobs at Pixar, including execs behind box office bomb ‘Lightyear’: Reuters
Disney's Pixar studios 'eliminated 75 positions' including some veteran employees behind a recent box office blunder, according to Reuters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Walt Disney's Pixar Animation Studios reportedly axed 75 positions in a move Reuters described as "the first significant job cuts at the studio in a decade."
Reuters published an exclusive report that Pixar, owned by Disney, has purged a large amount of employees including some who have served the studio for years.
"Walt Disney's (DIS.N) Pixar Animation Studios has eliminated 75 positions including those of two executives behind box office disappointment ‘Lightyear,’ sources said on Saturday, the first significant job cuts at the studio in a decade," Reuters journalist Dawn Chmielewski wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Screencap from Pixar's trailer for "Lightyear" (2022) (Disney/Pixar)
Chmielewski went on to write, "The cuts included ‘Lightyear’ director Angus MacLane, a 26-year animator who was part of the senior creative team on such acclaimed films as ‘Toy Story 4’ and ‘Coco.’ Galyn Susman, producer of ‘Lightyear,’ also departed. Susman had been at Pixar since the release of the original ‘Toy Story’ movie in 1995."
Disney and many of its associated companies have been criticized for catering to identity politics in recent years. Movies such as 2022 film, "Lightyear" were not viable in overseas markets due to depicting a same-sex relationship, and were not well received in America either, a result that Pixar’s chief creative officer Pete Docter attributed to having "asked too much of the audience."
Disney announced earlier this year that it would soon trim its payroll by some 7,000 employees. Disney declared its plans to save $5.5 billion in its overhaul, cutting $1.5 billion in operating costs and another $3 billion from reductions in non-sports content — including the job cuts.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A statue of Walt Disney and Micky Mouse stands in front of the Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in January 2019. (AP/John Raoux)
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Reuters recounted that Pixar has not seen a wave of job cuts since around 10 years ago.
"The last time Pixar cut jobs was in 2013, after the studio postponed the release of the 2015 film ‘The Good Dinosaur,’ and removed its director, Bob Peterson," Reuters wrote. "About 30 positions were eliminated."
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Earlier this year Disney announced ther had been a 2.4-million subscriber loss to streaming service Disney+. Disney+ faced major controversy with shows such as "Proud Family: Louder and Prouder," which included elements of Critical Race Theory and criticized Abraham Lincoln for not "caring" about ending slavery.
Fox News Digital reached out to Disney for comment. This article will be updated with any reply.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox Business reporter Breck Dumas and Fox News' Scott Whitlock contributed to this report.