Pixar Animation Studios will permanently cut 108 jobs at its Emeryville headquarters, a move that lands despite the blockbuster opening of “Toy Story 5” earlier this summer.
The layoffs, which take effect Sept. 26, form part of a wider workforce reduction across Disney’s corporate operations, ESPN, Disney Entertainment Television, and film studios. Disney confirmed the cuts in a filing with California employment regulators and through a company spokesperson.
A Disney representative framed the decision as an ongoing assessment of resource allocation. “These changes are part of our continual evaluation of how we manage resources and reinvest across the company as our industry continues to evolve,” the spokesperson said.
Pixar absorbed the heaviest losses within Disney’s studios division, according to Variety. National Geographic bore the brunt within Disney Entertainment Television. The Pixar reductions concentrated on production and operations roles.
This marks the second major contraction at Pixar in two years. The Bay Area animation powerhouse, long regarded as one of the region’s premier creative employers, eliminated roughly 175 positions in 2024, about 14% of its workforce at the time. That earlier restructuring followed Disney’s pivot away from original streaming series toward theatrical releases.
The fresh cuts arrive even as “Toy Story 5” delivered a franchise-record $160 million domestic opening and an estimated $312 million globally in its first week. Yet original projects have produced uneven results. “Elio” posted the studio’s weakest opening weekend on record. “Hoppers,” released this spring, earned positive reviews but failed to match the commercial pull of Pixar sequels.
TheWrap reported that “Hoppers” financial performance partly influenced the latest reductions, citing an unnamed source. Disney declined to link the movie to the layoffs publicly.
The restructuring falls under CEO Josh D’Amaro, who replaced Bob Iger this year. Disney launched a separate round of about 1,000 layoffs in April affecting marketing, television, ESPN, product, technology, studio operations, and corporate functions. D’Amaro told employees then that Disney sought a more agile, tech-enabled workforce.
Disney employed about 230,000 people globally as of late 2025. Pixar’s upcoming slate includes “Gatto,” an original film directed by “Luca” filmmaker Enrico Casarosa, along with development on “Incredibles 3.”
