Company giants are in a never-ending wave of cost-cutting efforts, and while that is important to keep operations profitable, employees are bearing the consequences due to job cuts. Disney, after already conducting workforce reductions before, is doing so again with Pixar staff.
Pixar Layoffs
The popular studio behind hit franchises like "Toy Story," "Finding Nemo," "The Incredibles," and "Cars" will be laying off 14% of its total workforce, which is equivalent to 175 workers. The much larger explanation would be Disney's ongoing cost-cutting measures.
Specifically, the downsizing is part of the company pulling back on the development of original shows and movies for Disney+, which has not been as profitable as the company would like. As mentioned in Engadget, Pixar will go back to creating films for the big screen.
The entertainment giant also expressed that it was a mistake to create a tradition of eventually dropping theatrical releases to its streaming service, as it might be to blame for the box office flops in theaters. "Lightyear," for instance, went far below the expected revenue.
While the studio has released a couple of films in the last few years, they did not grab the attention of viewers the way older films did. Such examples include "Turning Red," "Luca," and "Soul." Even "Elemental," which later became more popular, earned less than older titles.
As a way to get back on track, Pixar is revisiting fan favorites that are already proven hits. In fact, the sequel to "Inside Out" is set to launch in cinemas next month, and it is already expected to be a successful release given the recognition that the first film got.
It won't be the only franchise that Disney is digging up. Some of the familiar franchises that have upcoming films include "Moana," "Frozen," "Toy Story," and "Zootopia." What all of these have in common is the admiration of those who have seen them, and are happy to see more.
Disney's 'Woke' Culture May Be Making Things Worse
Whether or not that's really the case, a lot of people online are complaining that Disney is pushing its own agenda, particularly liberal ideals. While there is nothing wrong with showing diversity and inclusivity in films, it doesn't help with profitability.
Such is the case of "Lightyear." The animated film cost $200 million to make and only managed to rake in $226.7 million in ticket sales. With the movie having a same-sex kissing scene, it was banned in several countries, which played a huge part in the low ticket sales.
Of course, there's also the whole drama about the cast for Ariel in "The Little Mermaid," where a lot of viewers had an issue with a black actress playing the protagonist, because they argued that they grew up watching the movies with Ariel being white.
Disney arguably made a lot of mistakes in the last few years given its disappointing box office records. But, it has a lot of potential and ways to turn things around, especially since it has a trove of untapped sources of content such as franchise expansions and live-action remakes that don't stray too far from the original.
