Pixar hit hard as Disney cuts several hundred jobs
Disney is cutting several hundred roles, with Pixar taking most of the studios-side impact despite the box office surge of “Toy Story 5.”
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
Disney is cutting several hundred jobs across parts of the company, and Pixar is taking a heavy blow inside the studio division, Variety reported Tuesday.
A Disney spokesperson confirmed to Variety that the layoffs affect certain corporate functions across the media giant. The cuts include roles at ESPN, Disney Entertainment Television and Disney’s studios.
According to Variety, most of the studio-side job losses are at Pixar Animation Studios. In the television group, the largest share of affected roles is at National Geographic.
Employees who are being laid off were told Tuesday morning, Variety reported.
ESPN and NFL Network integration also in the mix
The cuts at ESPN are tied in part to the integration of NFL Network operations, according to Variety. Disney’s layoffs span several corners of the company rather than a single unit.
The move follows another round of job reductions in April, when Disney cut about 1,000 marketing roles across its studios, TV networks, ESPN, product and technology, and corporate departments, Variety reported.
At that time, newly appointed Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro told employees in a memo that the company had been looking for ways to streamline operations across parts of Disney to keep delivering the creativity and innovation audiences expect. He said the company needed to keep assessing how to build a more agile and technology-enabled workforce for future needs, according to Variety.
Pixar cuts arrive during a big box office summer
The Pixar layoffs land during a busy year for the animation studio. Pixar has released two films in 2026: the original spring adventure “Hoppers” and the summer sequel “Toy Story 5.”
Variety reported that “Hoppers” opened strongly but did not reach the box office levels of Pixar’s biggest past hits. “Toy Story 5,” meanwhile, is close to crossing $1 billion worldwide and is expected to become the top-grossing film in the franchise, according to the report.
The timing makes the cuts especially sharp for Pixar, which is riding a franchise high while still wrestling with a tougher theatrical market for new animated properties.
Variety noted that animated sequels have been powerful performers at the box office, including 2024’s “Inside Out 2.” But the outlet reported that Pixar has had a harder time launching original franchises since the pandemic.
During the COVID era, several Pixar films, including “Soul,” “Luca” and “Turning Red,” went straight to Disney+ rather than receiving traditional theatrical releases. Variety reported that executives believed the shift may have accidentally encouraged audiences to watch Pixar movies at home.
Disney did not disclose a full breakdown of the new layoffs by division in Variety’s report.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.