As someone who has spent years working tirelessly to bring Disney’s magical stories to life, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of disillusionment and disappointment upon hearing about the recent layoffs at Pixar. The fact that these hardworking individuals were not qualified for their bonuses feels like a cruel slap in the face, especially after the success of Inside Out 2.
The sequel to “Inside Out,” titled “Inside Out 2,” was the most successful film in 2024, raking in an impressive $1.6 billion at the global box office. However, the team members who dedicated countless hours to bring this movie to life are experiencing a mix of joy and sadness as they were let go just a month before its premiere. To add fuel to the fire, despite “Inside Out 2” breaking records as the highest-grossing animated film ever, many Pixar employees did not receive any extra compensation because Disney downsized their workforce between the film’s completion and its release in theaters. In essence, these hardworking individuals were shown the door instead of receiving their well-deserved bonuses after putting in months of overtime.
10 former Pixar employees shared their experiences working on ‘Inside Out 2’ with IGN, as reported. A source mentioned that animators were reportedly working seven days a week for about a month or two, and there was an influx of production workers, many of whom were assigned jobs they weren’t familiar with. This person described the situation as “horrendous.” Another individual stated they worked on weekends for four consecutive months. Despite this, Pixar acknowledged overtime hours by paying employees extra, and offered time off as compensation. However, finding opportunities to take that time off was challenging due to the tight production schedule aimed at meeting the summer 2024 release date for ‘Inside Out 2’. One insider noted:
“When we’re ill or in pain, they are there to provide care. They exhaust all resources to assist us, offering numerous health benefits, both physical and mental. However, the constant pressure to hurry and produce results can be overwhelming, leading to situations that stretch on for many months. In my opinion, this approach is not sustainable in the long term.
In May 2024, coincidentally, as “Inside Out 2” completed production, Pixar carried out layoffs of 175 employees, which accounted for approximately 14% of their staff. On the day of the layoffs, these employees were locked out of the network and lost access to work materials needed for demo reels, personal files, and other resources. Many found this behavior uncharacteristic of Pixar, as there was no support from HR. Key card access outside of regular work hours was also denied, and Disney requested that affected employees not retrieve their belongings to avoid any discomfort in the workplace. One source described the day of the layoffs as “a funeral,” with weeping and crying in the atrium, leaving indelible images in the minds of many.
Working tirelessly to get “Inside Out 2” ready for premiere only to be let go a month before its release meant I missed out on the bonus. As a Pixar employee, this bonus is crucial because our base pay doesn’t quite cut it in the high-cost living area of Emeryville, California. A source close to the situation said, “We work all year for that bonus. That’s what makes working at Pixar worth it – we rely on that.
“The news of being let go hit many of us hard…On the day we learned about our layoffs, finding out that the bonus was only available to active employees made me break down in tears.
Disney & Pixar Screwed Over A Lot of Employees
For more than a year, Pixar has been dealing with layoffs, much like Disney did in 2023 when they let go of some staff members in May 2023, mere weeks before the release of Elemental. Among those affected were Angus McClane, director of Lightyear, and Galyn Susman, a renowned Pixar producer. Susman is celebrated for her role in saving Toy Story 2 after accidentally deleting it back in 1999. Her tale is a legendary one within Pixar and was featured in the bonus content of the Toy Story 3 Blu-ray.
It appears that Disney strategically scheduled layoffs in both 2023 and 2024 in such a way that if projects like “Inside Out 2” turned out to be box office sensations, they wouldn’t have to pay bonuses to their Pixar employees. Interestingly, despite most of California’s animation industry being under the umbrella of The Animation Guild (TAG), Pixar employees are not. Established in 1986, Pixar initially operated as an independent studio outside Los Angeles County’s jurisdiction, thereby escaping TAG’s union representation. Even after Disney’s acquisition of Pixar in 2006, it remained non-union, with TAG representing only Walt Disney Animation workers. Certainly a convenient arrangement for the mouse.
I’ve been thrilled to see the incredible success of Inside Out 2 at the box office, but it’s left a bitter taste because so many dedicated individuals who contributed to its creation won’t reap any financial rewards. These employees were considered disposable, while executives continued to be compensated despite no layoffs occurring among their ranks. It’s hard not to notice that Disney, with such deep pockets, doesn’t seem to struggle for money. Not only did Inside Out 2 earn an impressive $1.6 billion globally, but Deadpool & Wolverine added another $1.3 billion to the worldwide box office total. A former employee pointed out that Disney invested a staggering $1.5 billion in Fortnite, and just a tiny fraction of that could have safeguarded everyone’s jobs at Pixar.
In a period of economic instability, Disney’s move to let go of Pixar employees who put in immense effort to create the blockbuster hit, “Inside Out 2,” is infuriating. However, withholding their bonuses after the film’s success, not even as part of severance pay or a final bonus, is truly appalling. The sentiment expressed by a former Pixar employee should resonate strongly: “I believe that at least 95% of the people who were laid off are struggling financially right now.
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2024-09-17 01:33