Former Pixar employees allege “horrendous” working conditions onInside Out 2, calling it the “largest crunch in studio history.” Following several box office disappointments, the latestPixar movie, a sequel to 2015’sInside Out, was released in theaters earlier this summer and became not only the studio’s highest-grossing film, but the highest-grossing animated movie of all time with $1.6 billion at the box office. However, despite this record-breaking success, Pixar laid off 175 employees, or 14% of its workforce in the following months.
Now, in a new report byIGN,ten former Pixar employees spoke on the condition of anonymity and alleged “horrendous” working conditions onInside Out 2, detailing what one calls “the largest crunch in the studio’s history.” Sources say the animators worked seven days a week for months, which caused their bodies to begin breaking down. Read a collection of quotes from former Pixar employees below:
I think for a month or two, the animators were working seven days a week. Ridiculous amounts of production workers, just people being tossed into jobs they’d never really done before… It was horrendous.
I would venture that at least 95% of the people that got laid off are financially f*cked right now.
The internal culture of Pixar right now is really rough. There is just an incredible amount of people who are like, “I can’t do this anymore.”
It was rushed work, paranoid work, paranoid leadership, mixed messaging. You’re just working 24/7. And so after awhile, your body just starts breaking down.
The day that the layoffs happened was like a funeral. There was weeping and crying in the atrium. There are images from that day that are going to stay with me for quite a long time.
More On Inside Out 2’s Alleged “Horrendous” Working Conditions
Pixar Employees Were Under Immense Pressure To Deliver A Hit
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thethree Pixar moviesSoul,Luca, andTurning Redwere released directly on Disney+, and after returning to theaters in 2022,Lightyearwas a box-office bomb andElementalhad a disappointing opening domestically. In turn,Inside Out 2was seen as the movie that could save Pixar, with sources calling it “an all-hands-on-deck studio emergency” and “a life or death situation.” This resulted in immense pressure being put on the Pixar employees as they worked incredibly long hours to deliver a hit.
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While Disney declined to comment onIGN’s report, a senior executive at Pixar disputes the claims from the former employees, claiming the time crunch onInside Out 2was similar to that experienced on many other films from the studio. In addition to the time crunch, the subsequent layoffs at Pixar caused intense emotional distress and financial struggles for the former employees.Many of those who worked onInside Out 2who were laid off were also unable to benefit from a bonusfor its record-breaking box office success.
Our Take On Inside Out 2’s Alleged “Horrendous” Working Conditions
They Reflect A Larger Trend In The Animation Industry
Despite whether or not the time crunch experienced onInside Out 2was drastically different from the studio’s other projects, the reality remains that employees were pressured into delivering the hit that Pixar so desperately needed, and were left hung out to dry afterward.The allegations reflect a larger trend in the animation industry, where success often comes at the expense of the workforce. However, it is because ofInside Out 2’s record-breaking $1.6 billion box office success that Pixar is unlikely to change its ways in the near future.
Inside Out 2
Cast
Inside Out 2 is the sequel to the 2015 original film, which starred a young girl named Riley with a head full of emotions. - literally. With Amy Pohler as Joy, Bill Hader as fear, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, and Lewis Black as Anger, the all-star cast brought to life the emotions that adolescents face as they grow, change, and adapt to new situations. This sequel, currently in development, will bring Amy Pohler back as Joy, with Riley, now a teenager.
