© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A screen displays the logo and ticker symbol of The Walt Disney Company on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDiarmid
by Dawn Chmielewski
(Reuters) – Walt Disney Pixar Animation Studios subsidiary Pixar Animation has cut 75 positions including two of the executives behind “Lightyear”‘s box office disappointment, sources said Saturday, in the studio’s first major job cuts in a decade.
The cuts included “Lightyear” director Angus McClain, a 26-year-old animator who was part of the first creative team on blockbusters like “Toy Story 4” and “Coco.” Lightyear producer Galen Sussman has also departed. Suzman has been working at Pixar since the original “Toy Story” movie was released in 1995.
McClain and Suzman could not be reached for comment. The sources said Michael Agolnik, Pixar’s vice president of global publicity since 2015, has been laid off. He did not return a call seeking comment.
The cuts, which occurred on May 23, are part of Walt Disney (NYSE::) CEO Bob Iger’s previously announced plan to cut 7,000 jobs and cut costs by $5.5 billion. This restructuring consolidated the film and television groups into a single Disney Entertainment unit and eliminated a division charged with distribution.
Although small compared to Pixar’s employee base of about 1,200 employees, the layoffs are noteworthy because the studio is a creative force that generates franchises and characters that drive revenue across Disney.
Pixar is known for its movie franchises including “Toy Story,” “The Incredibles,” and “Cars.” But Lightyear, released a year earlier on a $200 million budget, brought in $226.7 million in worldwide ticket sales and received a mixed critical reception.
By contrast, Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” in 2018, which reportedly had a similar production budget, had worldwide box office sales of $1.2 billion.
“Lightyear” could not 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, television, streaming services, and theme parks.
The last time Pixar cut jobs was in 2013, after the studio delayed the release of the 2015 movie “The Good Dinosaur,” and removed its director, Bob Peterson. About 30 jobs were eliminated.
Disney acquired Pixar in 2006 to revitalize struggling Disney Animation.