As Disney pushes towards streaming profitability, Pixar to undergo layoffs in 2024::Disney-owned animation studio Pixar is poised to undergo layoffs this year, TechCrunch has learned and the company confirmed. While sources at the company
“Disney had more or less trained audiences to expect big, hot Pixar content at home,” explained Brandon Katz, an entertainment industry strategist at Parrot Analytics.
I agree with the point but not necessarily the reason why.
Pixar movies used to be “can’t miss”. They were a cut above everything else, and incredibly unique. Now they’re just… Disney Pixar. They’ve watered down so much of what made them great before.
And of course Disney is cutting staff due to lack of box office success without taking an inward look that their imprinting on the company might have something to do with its downfall.
I really do think Elemental was quite good, The advertising was really god awful. It was a movie about cultural and societal boundaries and prejudice, not about a opposites attract romance.
But Disney marketing is deadly afraid of being perceived as having some political affiliation. Despite the fact that they will bend over backwards for China, and the whole kerfuffle with Florida. Deep down it’s a movie about migrants, and that is a hot topic. This unfortunately kneecapped both the writing and the marketing. That movie could’ve been so much more and be a giant hit, but all that creative potential was squandered to protect the bottom line.
Yeah, read online before watching it and how it bombed on its initial weekends. Honestly? I don’t get the hate. It was an enjoyable movie with interesting topic at heart. But those topics were not in the marketing, only the romance bit. Shame, but glad word of mouth kinda saved the box office run.
Really? I might have to give it a shot then
Maybe people are just tired of movies about race, sexual preferences and gender plastered everywhere without context and just want to see an interesting story. It used to be like that with movies like toy story, the first couple, and monsters inc.
People LOVE movies about sexual preferences and gender. Rom-Coms are incredibly popular and that’s literally all they’re about
Pixar and Christopher Nolan films used to be the only movies I’d go see in theatres.
I haven’t watched a Pixar film since Turning Red, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I wish I could’ve seen it in theatres. I don’t really do streaming services, so it’s Disney’s loss. Instead of buying a ticket, I’m waiting for a free trial or to watch it with someone who’s subscribed.
There’s only been Lightyear, which I haven’t finished, and Elemental for Pixar movies since Turning Red… so not that many.
Elemental was actually a lot better than I thought it would be. From the trailers, it looked like it was something I’ve seen before… but it had that Pixar heart and charm. I recommend it.
Turning Red wasn’t one of my favorites, but it’s coming to theaters in early February if you want to see it on the big screen. Soul (which was fantastic) is out now in theaters and Luca is releasing near the end of March.
Oh, I didn’t know they were doing runs in theatres now! Thanks!
Sad to see how Pixar has fallen, most likely thanks to Disney owning them
Honestly I’m at the point where I’m more likely to “not miss” a Dreamworks or Illumination animation, rather than a Disney one
Unions?
Do they exist in the US?
Nah, last wedding I went to the priest got elbow dropped by an Amazon exec for saying, “holy union”
Generative ai?
Watch your average Disney/Pixar movie to drop dramatically in quality as they look for ways to cut costs. I’m kind of done with most new media. The enshittification is growing exponentially.
TBH Disney is already mostly producing shit, Pixar movies were still kinda good I think ?
Everything is shit, right?
The studio stressed the layoffs are not imminent, but will take place later this year as Pixar focuses on making less content.
Nothin more motivating for staff than incoming layoffs.
Also how does this not look like shooting themselves in the foot? Gut your content creators… to make your streaming more profitable? 🤔 ok
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Disney said it expects to get its streaming service out of the red by Q4 2024 as a result of the “restructuring” of the company that “enabled tremendous efficiencies,” CEO Bob Iger told investors during earnings.
Pixar’s “Elemental” was cited as one of the popular titles to hit the streaming platform in the quarter alongside other Disney and Marvel releases, like “The Little Mermaid” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.
3.” “Elemental” had grossed half a billion worldwide, Disney said, and was the most-viewed film on Disney+ in the quarter, but was initially considered a box office bomb and one of the worst debuts in Pixar’s 28-year history.
The film made up for its poor opening over time, but had followed other under-performing titles like “Lightyear” and “Onward,” which forced Disney to reconsider its release strategy.
“Disney had more or less trained audiences to expect big, hot Pixar content at home,” explained Brandon Katz, an entertainment industry strategist at Parrot Analytics.
Earlier in 2023, Pixar laid off 75 positions including two executives behind “Lightyear,” Reuters reported, including longtime animators Angus MacLane (“Toy Story 4,” “Coco”) and Galyn Susman, who had been with Pixar since the original “Toy Story.” Those cuts were part of Iger’s plan to reduce headcount by 7,000 jobs and $5.5 billion in costs, the report said.
The original article contains 819 words, the summary contains 219 words. Saved 73%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
