The American animation studio Pixar Animation Studios (owned by Walt Disney Studios) laid off 75 people. Buzz Lightyear director and producer Angus MacLaine and Galyn Sussman were fired.
According to Reuters, this is the first major layoff at Pixar in 10 years. Galyn Sussman has been with the company since 1995 and has been involved in the creation of Finding Nemo and Ratatouille.
Buzz Lightyear director Angus MacLaine has been at Pixar since 1997. He participated in the creation of characters in the projects “Monsters Inc” and “The Incredibles”, and also co-directed the cartoon “Finding Dory”.
Buzz Lightyear, the studio’s last big release, was a flop: With a budget of $200 million, it grossed just $226.7 million worldwide and received mixed reviews from critics, the agency said.
Also, according to Reuters, Michael Agulnek, who has been Pixar’s vice president of worldwide advertising since 2015, has left his position. The publication reports that the layoffs took place on May 23 and are part of a plan by Disney CEO Bob Iger to cut 7,000 positions at the company and $5.5 billion in spending.
Although Pixar has about 1,200 employees, the layoff of 75 people is striking: the studio creates characters and franchises that bring revenue to all of Disney.
The last downsizing of this magnitude came in 2013, when Pixar delayed The Good Dinosaur until 2015 and laid off about 30 employees, including animation director Bob Peterson.
Author:
Ahmed Sadulayev
Source: RB
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