Pixar Animation Studios used a Mrs. Incredible letterhead to notify California state officials that more than 100 employees are about to lose their jobs.
The Walt Disney Company-owned studio is set to lay off 108 employees at its Emeryville headquarters as part of a round of cuts across Disney, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filing submitted to state officials Tuesday, SFGate reports.
Most of the affected employees are scheduled to leave the company on September 26. The layoffs will primarily affect creative roles, including 23 technical directors and nine story artists, according to the state filing.
A copy of the notice shared by the outlet shows Mrs. Incredible, also known as Elastigirl from Pixar’s 2004 hit The Incredibles, replacing the “I” in the Pixar logo at the top of the letter, standing with her hands on her hips.
The use of Mrs. Incredible in the letter is particularly ironic, as The Incredibles centers on a family of superheroes who are forced into ordinary lives after Mr. Incredible loses his job, only to eventually return to action.
Disney has not publicly commented on the Pixar layoffs or the use of the Incredibles-themed letterhead. The Independent has contacted Disney for comment.
Pixar’s latest round of layoffs is part of Disney’s cost-cutting efforts, with more than 1,000 employees expected to lose their jobs across divisions including ESPN, Disney Entertainment Television, National Geographic. The cuts are part of CEO Josh D’Amaro’s “One Disney” restructuring strategy aimed at streamlining the company, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While Pixar’s Toy Story 5 is nearing $1 billion at the global box office, a source told TheWrap the layoffs may be tied to the weaker performance of the studio’s March release, Hoppers, which barely broke even.
Earlier this week, the restructuring made headlines after ESPN and NFL Network parted ways with several big-name on-air personalities, including Karl Ravech, Cam Newton, David Lloyd and Ryan Clark.
In 2024, Pixar cut about 14 percent of its workforce, eliminating around 175 positions, with many of the layoffs affecting production and operations roles at its Emeryville studio. The cuts came as the company shifted its focus away from producing original direct-to-consumer streaming shows and toward theatrical releases.
Next up for Pixar is the original film Gatto, scheduled for release in 2027, and the highly anticipated Incredibles 3, slated for 2028.
