Pixar Studios, ensnared in the Walt Disney Company’s mass layoff announcement this week, will also face a large staff cut, according to public records.
The Emeryville-based animation studio is slated to lose 108 employees over the next few months, most with their last day set for Sept. 26. A WARN filed Thursday with state officials detailed various creative staff roles being axed, including 23 technical directors and nine story artists based at the company’s Emeryville headquarters.
The letterhead of the document also included an image of Mrs. Incredible (aka Elastigirl) replacing the “i” in Pixar. Released in 2004, “The Incredibles” chronicles the meteoric return of a family of superheroes as they come out of hiding following Mr. Incredible’s own dismissal from work as a claims adjuster.
Pixar’s latest release, “Toy Story 5,” is currently shattering the box office as it approaches nearly $1 billion in sales worldwide. But a source told the Wrap that cuts may be related to the underperformance of “Hoppers,” also released earlier this year, which barely broke even.
The Walt Disney Company did not respond to a request for comment. More than 1,000 Disney employees are expected to be laid off as part of a “One Disney” ethos that new CEO Josh D’Amaro is pushing, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
