The Walt Disney Company has made around 7,000 staff cuts in recent weeks, with around 75 of them reportedly coming from Pixar according to Reuters.
The news service reveals that among the cuts were the director and producer of “Lightyear” last year – 26-year animator Angus MacLane, VP of publicity Michael Agulnek, and nearly 30-year Pixar veteran Galyn Susman.
The surprise here is Susman, who had been with the studio since 1995 and is famous in many circles for being the producer who singlehandedly saved “Toy Story 2”.
About a year before the release, a glitch in Disney’s computers deleted over 90% of the movie. The studio feared they were going to have to start from scratch – until Galyn saved everyone’s bacon as she had a backup copy in her possession due to her being on maternity leave and working from home.
Meanwhile, MacLane was part of the Senior Creative Team on animated films like “Coco,” “Incredibles 2” and “Toy Story 4”. The last time cuts were made a Pixar was a decade ago when “The Good Dinosaur” was delayed – with around 60 cuts at that time, including director Bob Peterson.
The cuts follow in the wake of “Lightyear” underwhelming at the box office last year, making $226.7 million worldwide on a reported $200 million budget along with being hit with several controversies.
