Walt Disney Co. (DIS) is cutting 6% of its global workforce, including employees at its animation studio in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The entertainment giant said that about 200 employees are being let go at its ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Network.
However, there are also reports that Disney has laid off an undisclosed number of employees at its Vancouver office.
The number of employees at the Vancouver animation studio numbers 300 people following the latest round of terminations, according to media reports.
The Vancouver cuts are related to Disney’s decision to shift away from long-form animation content and focus on one theatrical feature film per year, plus short-form content going forward.
Disney Animation Studios operates two locations, one in Burbank, California and the other in Vancouver.
The Vancouver animation studio opened in 2022 and the main TV show the local crew was working on was a spinoff of the animated movie “The Princess and the Frog.”
Pixar, Disney’s computer animation studio, opened an office in Vancouver in 2010 with a mandate to produce short films based on popular Pixar characters.
However, nearly 100 animation workers lost their jobs three years later when Disney closed the Pixar office in downtown Vancouver.
Elsewhere, Disney announced other job cuts as it moves away from its core entertainment businesses and focuses more on live sports and streaming content.
The ABC news magazine shows “20/20” and “Nightline” are consolidating into one unit, resulting in job cuts.
Also, all three hours of the daily ABC television show “Good Morning America” will be consolidated under one host and production team.
At the Disney Entertainment Networks unit, which is home to cable channels such as FX, there will be staffing reductions in program planning and scheduling, said the company.
Management at Disney have said they are looking to streamline operations as they focus more on the Disney+ streaming platform and push further into live sports.
Disney’s stock has declined 3% over the last 12 months to trade at $109.01 U.S. per share.
