Pixar Animation Studios is absorbing the heaviest blow in the latest wave of job cuts at Walt Disney Co., an outcome that stands in sharp contrast to the studio’s box-office performance this year.
The animation house is riding the success of summer blockbuster Toy Story 5, which is closing in on the billion-dollar mark and is set to become the highest-grossing entry in the franchise. Its spring release Hoppers, an original adventure, opened strongly but did not reach the heights of earlier Pixar hits. Together the two films have grossed close to $1.4 billion worldwide.
Even so, Pixar’s reductions fall in the high single digits as a percentage of its roughly 1,100 staff, translating to around or just under 100 positions. The cuts are concentrated in production and operations, with the cuts believed to have excluded management. A source familiar with the moves said the changes reflect the studio’s evolving needs tied to production volume and projects currently in process.
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A Disney spokesperson confirmed the company is cutting several hundred jobs across certain corporate functions. The affected areas span ESPN, Disney Entertainment Television and the film studios, with employees notified Tuesday morning.
At ESPN, most of the reductions are behind-the-scenes staff connected to the integration of NFL Network, which the company acquired earlier this year. On-air talent was not spared entirely. Departing the channel are longtime SportsCenter anchor and Baseball Tonight host Karl Ravech, who joined in 1993, along with analyst Ryan Clark, a former NFL player who has covered football for more than a decade.
ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro told staff in a memo that the company had spent months integrating the acquired NFL assets and evaluating its teams, resources and structure. He said most of the job impacts were tied to the acquisition, though colleagues in other parts of the company were also being notified.
Across Disney Entertainment Television, the tally is just under 100. Most of those were at National Geographic, spanning the cable network as well as editorial and operations, with about a dozen ABC News staffers affected and isolated cuts elsewhere.
This marks the third round of layoffs this year as CEO Josh D’Amaro reorients the company around his “One Disney” structure. In January, Disney unified its marketing departments under Asad Ayaz, and in April D’Amaro announced a broader restructuring that touched around 1,000 employees. D’Amaro is not expected to send a memo about the newest reductions.
The pattern is familiar at both divisions. Nat Geo was the hardest-hit brand in the 2024 layoffs, losing about 60 people, or 13% of its staff. Pixar shed 14% of its workforce, roughly 175 employees, in May 2024 as it scaled back direct-to-consumer series.
D’Amaro, who succeeded Bob Iger as CEO earlier this year, oversees a workforce far larger than many media rivals. As of the end of fiscal 2025, Disney employed 231,000 people, including 172,000 in the United States.
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