Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
So Disney just dropped another round of layoffs and I cannot stop thinking about the timing of all of this.
Hundreds of employees across Disney just got let go. Corporate functions, ESPN, Disney Entertainment Television, Disney Studios. But the studio side is where it really hurts, and specifically Pixar. 116 people at the Emeryville studio were cut in this round alone. That is significant. That is people with families, with careers, who have poured themselves into these movies we all love.
And here is where things get really interesting. This is happening right now, while Toy Story 5 is sitting at nearly $957 million worldwide and is clearly on its way to crossing $1 billion. That movie is a massive hit. So why are hundreds of people losing their jobs in the middle of one of the biggest box office moments Pixar has had in years?
I want to be careful here because I am not saying I know exactly what is going on behind closed doors at Disney. But the pattern is worth talking about. Back in 2024, the last big wave of Pixar layoffs happened right after Inside Out 2 made $1.69 billion. A billion dollar movie. And people still got cut. Now we are potentially watching the exact same thing play out again with Toy Story 5.
There is a reason people are whispering about bonus structures and how these timing decisions get made. When a studio hits massive financial milestones and layoffs follow closely behind, you have to at least ask the question.
Disney is pointing to a few things as justification this time around. One is the underperformance of Hoppers, which actually sounds pretty harsh when you look at the numbers. Hoppers made $389 million worldwide on a $150 million budget. Critics and audiences liked it. But by Hollywood math, that is barely break even territory. And it came right after Elio, which had a rough production history and a bloated budget that made it one of Pixar's worst performers in years.
So the narrative from Disney's side is that Pixar needs to be making movies for less money to stay competitive. Which, okay, that is a real conversation the industry is having. But cutting 116 people while Toy Story 5 is printing money feels like a really strange way to tell that story.
Josh D'Amaro and his One Disney approach have already cut over 1,000 people earlier this year, including a lot of the Marvel Studios art department and entire divisions inside the company. This latest round just adds to that number.
I genuinely love these movies. I grew up on Pixar. I care about the people who make them. And I think it is worth having an honest conversation about what is really happening here and whether the people doing the creative work are being protected when the box office goes their way.
Let me know what you think about all of this down in the comments. Do you think the timing here is a coincidence? Do you think Disney is making smart business decisions or is something else going on? Drop your thoughts below. If you found this video valuable, hit that like button, it really does help us out. Subscribe to Capture The Magic if you are not already part of the family, and make sure you hit that notification bell so you never miss a video from us.
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#Disney #Pixar #ToyStory5 #DisneyLayoffs #PixarLayoffs #Disney2026 #ToyStory #JoshDAmaro #OneDisney #DisneyNews #PixarNews #BoxOffice #DisneyStudios #CaptureTheMagic
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So Disney just dropped another round of layoffs and I cannot stop thinking about the timing of all of this.
Hundreds of employees across Disney just got let go. Corporate functions, ESPN, Disney Entertainment Television, Disney Studios. But the studio side is where it really hurts, and specifically Pixar. 116 people at the Emeryville studio were cut in this round alone. That is significant. That is people with families, with careers, who have poured themselves into these movies we all love.
And here is where things get really interesting. This is happening right now, while Toy Story 5 is sitting at nearly $957 million worldwide and is clearly on its way to crossing $1 billion. That movie is a massive hit. So why are hundreds of people losing their jobs in the middle of one of the biggest box office moments Pixar has had in years?
I want to be careful here because I am not saying I know exactly what is going on behind closed doors at Disney. But the pattern is worth talking about. Back in 2024, the last big wave of Pixar layoffs happened right after Inside Out 2 made $1.69 billion. A billion dollar movie. And people still got cut. Now we are potentially watching the exact same thing play out again with Toy Story 5.
There is a reason people are whispering about bonus structures and how these timing decisions get made. When a studio hits massive financial milestones and layoffs follow closely behind, you have to at least ask the question.
Disney is pointing to a few things as justification this time around. One is the underperformance of Hoppers, which actually sounds pretty harsh when you look at the numbers. Hoppers made $389 million worldwide on a $150 million budget. Critics and audiences liked it. But by Hollywood math, that is barely break even territory. And it came right after Elio, which had a rough production history and a bloated budget that made it one of Pixar's worst performers in years.
So the narrative from Disney's side is that Pixar needs to be making movies for less money to stay competitive. Which, okay, that is a real conversation the industry is having. But cutting 116 people while Toy Story 5 is printing money feels like a really strange way to tell that story.
Josh D'Amaro and his One Disney approach have already cut over 1,000 people earlier this year, including a lot of the Marvel Studios art department and entire divisions inside the company. This latest round just adds to that number.
I genuinely love these movies. I grew up on Pixar. I care about the people who make them. And I think it is worth having an honest conversation about what is really happening here and whether the people doing the creative work are being protected when the box office goes their way.
Let me know what you think about all of this down in the comments. Do you think the timing here is a coincidence? Do you think Disney is making smart business decisions or is something else going on? Drop your thoughts below. If you found this video valuable, hit that like button, it really does help us out. Subscribe to Capture The Magic if you are not already part of the family, and make sure you hit that notification bell so you never miss a video from us.
► SUBSCRIBE
Capture The Magic / @capthemagic
CTM Podcast / @ctmpodcast
Orange Grove 55 / @OrangeGrove55
Vash Sky ParkCast / @VashSkyParkCast
Theme Park Wizard / @ThemeParkWizard
Theme Park Conductor / @ThemeParkConductor
Theme Park Philosophy / @ThemeParkPhilosophy
#Disney #Pixar #ToyStory5 #DisneyLayoffs #PixarLayoffs #Disney2026 #ToyStory #JoshDAmaro #OneDisney #DisneyNews #PixarNews #BoxOffice #DisneyStudios #CaptureTheMagic
Join this channel to get access to perks:
youtube.com/channel/UCtv-SO4xuwrXwu2MuDh6wZw/join
*CTM Podcast YouTube:* youtube.com/@ctmpodcast
*CTM Apparel:* https://ctmapparel.store
*Sponsored by Zip Travel Co*
Make your vacation planning a breeze and get some free gifts when you book at travelwithzip.com
