Disney Cuts Hundreds of Jobs, Targeting Pixar and National Geographic

Disney announced a fresh round of layoffs affecting several hundred employees. Staff in Disney Entertainment Television and Studios received notices on Tuesday, with the cuts extending to the company’s Pixar animation studio and National Geographic division. The move follows earlier reductions at ESPN tied to a new agreement with the NFL.

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National Geographic was the hardest-hit brand, losing roughly 60 employees—about 13 percent of its staff—across the cable network, editorial, and operations teams. Pixar’s reductions fall in the “high single-digit percentile” of its 1,100-person workforce, amounting to around or under 100 pink-slips. Across Disney Entertainment Television overall, the total number of jobs eliminated is just under 100. About a dozen ABC News staffers were also impacted, with isolated layoffs reported in other divisions.

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In May 2024, Pixar previously shed 14 percent of its workforce, roughly 175 employees, as it scaled back direct-to-consumer series. The current round represents a smaller proportion of Pixar’s staff but adds to the cumulative impact of Disney’s broader restructuring efforts.

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CEO Josh D’Amaro, who succeeded Bob Iger earlier this year, has not issued new commentary beyond an April memo that outlined the need to “streamline operations” and build a “more agile and technologically-enabled workforce” to meet evolving industry demands. The memo emphasized delivering “world-class creativity and innovation” for Disney’s audiences while adapting to a fast-moving market.

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• “Over the past several months, we have looked at ways in which we can streamline our operations in various parts of the company to ensure we deliver the world-class creativity and innovation our fans value and expect from Disney,” — Josh D’Amaro, CEO

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