Walt Disney Co. is laying off several hundred employees, including at Pixar Animation Studios and National Geographic, a company spokesperson said Tuesday.
Pixar is eliminating less than 10% of its staff, and the cuts are concentrated mostly in production and operations, according to a person familiar with the matter who declined to be named.
At National Geographic, dozens of people have received layoff notices, though many will have an opportunity to move to a different role, according to another person familiar with the matter. Affected positions are across National Geographic’s television section, as well as editorial and digital.
The Burbank media and entertainment giant began notifying affected employees Tuesday morning.
In addition to Pixar and National Geographic, certain corporate functions were also affected by the layoffs, as was ESPN, which cut several well-known on-air analysts and reporters.
Most of the ESPN layoffs were tied to the recent acquisition of the NFL Network, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a memo to staff.
This is Disney’s third round of layoffs and is part of a broader corporate restructuring signaled earlier this year by Chief Executive Josh D’Amaro. At the time, he said the company needed to be more agile and technologically-enabled due to the fast pace of the industry.
In January, Disney consolidated its marketing division, followed a few months later by cuts across multiple sectors, including its TV and movie studios, ESPN and its product and technology unit.
Pixar was not impacted during that second round of layoffs. The computer animation studio last had layoffs in 2024, when it cut about 175 jobs, or 14% of its staff.
Pixar has had a successful year so far — its original animated film “Hoppers,” which debuted in March, got critical acclaim and had a solid showing at the box office, while “Toy Story 5” has now earned more than $957 million at the global box office since it came out last month.
But Disney’s studios, including Pixar, have evolved production over the last three years to reduce volume, focus on quality and prioritize theatrical projects, which the company sees as the main driver for its broader ecosystem, including its streaming business.
