To infinity and…! Disney lays off 75 employees including executives behind box office disappointment Lightyear

Pixar Animation Studio has made the decision to eliminate 75 positions, which includes Angus MacLane and Galyn Susman, the executives of the box-office disappointment, Lightyear.

Angus MacLane

Angus MacLane, an American animator, had been a part of Pixar since 1997. He started as an animator on Geri’s Game and has since contributed to the creation of 20 feature films and various other projects. In 2005, he won the Annie Award for ‘Character Animation’ for his work on The Incredibles. In 2014, he won another Annie Award for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Directing’ for Toy Story of Terror. The Annie Awards are known for recognizing excellence in animation.

Galyn Susman

Galyn Susman has been with Pixar since 1995 and has worked as a producer on 13 films, as well as being involved in the crew of 7 others. She is also credited with saving Toy Story 2 when a command accidentally deleted 90% of the film. Susman had a copy of the movie at home and was able to salvage the situation. Both Angus MacLane and Galyn Susman served as executives for Lightyear.

Lightyear, a Toy Story spin-off released in 2022, marked Angus MacLane’s directorial debut. Despite having a production budget of $200 million, the film only grossed $226.4 million, resulting in a significant loss of approximately $106 million for the studio. The film was declared a box-office flop, with critics praising certain aspects but criticizing the screenplay.

This round of job cuts, affecting 75 employees, marks the first significant reduction in the studio’s workforce in a decade. Pixar was acquired by Disney in 2006, and earlier this year, Disney’s chief executive announced plans to lay off 7,000 jobs and reorganize the company into three separate divisions to reduce costs by $5.5 billion.

The last major job cut at Pixar occurred in 2013 when around 30 individuals, including director Bob Peterson of The Good Dinosaur, were let go, resulting in the film’s delay.

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While many sympathize with MacLane and Susman, some agree with Pixar’s decision, citing the failure of Lightyear as a factor.