The latest round of Disney layoffs targeted Pixar employees. The most prominent names eliminated seem to revolve around Lightyear, including the film’s director, Angus MacLane, and producer, Galyn Susman. Both have been with the company for decades, and Susman is credited with saving Toy Story 2 after Pixar’s computer files were lost. She had a personal copy of the film because she was working from home due to her pregnancy. Disney is reportedly going to lay off international employees next.
I hate these stories. Blaming Lightyear‘s underperformance solely on the director and producer is slimy at best. Disney and Pixar greenlit the movie and heavily pushed it; it’s not like MacLane and Susman sneaked it in without the execs knowing. I also don’t understand shuffling off such long-time employees over something like this. It seems like when Disney has a big problem like a financial loss, they want to blame someone rather than fix what caused the problem. Them firing all these people really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It’s not like Disney is hurting for money.