Former Pixar employees say “Terrible“Work conditions on Inside Out 2call it the “Biggest crunch in studio historyAfter several disappointments at the box office, the latest Pixar movie, a sequel to 2015’s Inside outwas 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 the record-breaking success, Pixar laid off 175 employees, or 14% of its workforce in the following months.
Now, in a new report by IGN, Ten former Pixar employees spoke on the condition of anonymity and alleged “Terrible“Work conditions on Inside Out 2detailing what is called “The biggest crunch in the studio’s history.” Sources say the animators worked seven days a week for months, causing their bodies to begin to break down. A collection of quotes from former Pixar employees reads below:
I think for a month or two, the animators were working seven days a week. Ridiculous amounts of production workers, just people being thrown into jobs they’ve never really done before… it was horrible.
I would venture that at least 95% of the people who were laid off are financially functional right now.
Pixar’s internal culture right now is really rough. There’s 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 just work 24/7. And so after a while, your body just starts breaking down.
The day when the installation took place was like a funeral. There was crying 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 the alleged “horny” working conditions of Inside Out 2
Pixar employees were under great pressure to deliver a hit
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the three Pixar movies soul, LucaAnd turning red They were released immediately on Disney+, and after returning to theaters in 2022, Light year was a box-office bomb and Elemental had a disappointing opening domestically. in turn, Inside Out 2 was seen as the movie that could save Pixarwith sources calling it “An all-hands-on-deck studio emergency“and”A life or death situationThis led to enormous pressure on the Pixar employees as they worked incredibly long hours to deliver a hit.
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While Disney declined to comment on IGNs report, a senior executive at Pixar disputes the former employees’ claims, claiming the time crunch on Inside Out 2 Was similar to that experienced in many other films of 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 on Inside Out 2 Those who were suspended also could not benefit from a bonus. For its record-breaking box office success.
Our take on Inside Out 2’s alleged “horny” working conditions
They reflect a larger trend in the animation industry
Despite whether the time crunch experienced on or not Inside Out 2 was drastically different from the studio’s other projects, the reality is that employees were pressured to deliver the hit that Pixar so desperately needed, and were left out to dry afterwards. The allegations reflect a larger trend in the animation industryWhere success often comes at the expense of the workforce. However, it is because of Inside Out 2s record-breaking $1.6 billion box office success that Pixar is unlikely to change its ways in the near future.
Source: IGN