LAYOFFS EXPECTED AT DISNEY RECENT ACQUISITION OF PIXAR HAS CAUSED SOME JOB OVERLAP.Byline: GREG HERNANDEZ Staff Writer BURBANK -- Walt Disney Studios The name Walt Disney Studios may refer to:
prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. published reports and studio sources. The Pixar deal resulted in the longtime Disney movie supplier merging with Disney's existing animation division, causing some job replication. The studio's spokeswoman, Heidi Trada, declined Tuesday to confirm any impending im·pend intr.v. im·pend·ed, im·pend·ing, im·pends 1. To be about to occur: Her retirement is impending. 2. layoffs, saying only, ``We are constantly evaluating our business to make it better and more efficient.'' The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times reported that the layoffs are likely to be 5 percent of the staff but could climb as high as 10 percent once a review of the studio's operations is complete. Sources said Tuesday the cutbacks are expected to affect all units at the studio. In addition to the Pixar purchase, the constant changes in film distribution technology are also said to be behind the need for some restructuring. The movie division of The Walt Disney Co. is currently in third place so far in 2006 in terms of market share. After a record year in 2003, the studio slipped from first place to No. 3 in 2004 and fell to fourth place last year. In its May 9 quarterly earnings report, Disney reported that revenue had fallen by 22 percent to $1.8 billion compared to the same quarter a year earlier despite the success of the blockbuster ``The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' and the hit ``Eight Below.'' Disney executives and box office observers are bullish on the studio's next two releases: the Pixar title ``Cars,'' which bows June 9, and ``Pirates of the Caribbean This article is about the franchise. For other, more specific uses, see Pirates of the Caribbean (disambiguation). For real pirates, see Piracy in the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man's Chest,'' a sequel to the summer 2003 smash that, with Pixar's ``Finding Nemo,'' led Disney's movie division to its most successful year in history when they earned a combined $645.1 million domestically. But the next year, the studio endured several expensive flops, including ``The Alamo Alamo Eighteenth-century mission in San Antonio, Texas, site of a historic siege of a small group of Texans by a Mexican army (1836) during the Texas war for independence from Mexico. ,'' ``Hidalgo Hidalgo, state, Mexico Hidalgo (ēthäl`gō), state (1990 pop. 1,888,366), 8,058 sq mi (20,870 sq km), central Mexico. Pachuca de Soto is the capital. ,'' ``King Arthur'' and ``Home on the Range'' before rebounding with the Pixar title ``The Incredibles,'' the fall smash ``National Treasure'' and ``The Village.'' Last year followed a similar pattern after the success of ``The Pacifier'' with such flops as ``Dark Water'' before the studio was able to stage a fall comeback with the hits ``Flightplan'' and ``Chicken Little'' before ending the year with ``Narnia,'' one of the highest-grossing releases of 2005. ``They did seem to have a lot of disappointments,'' said Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic way. Brandon Gray started the site in August 1998 and claims to now receive over one million monthly visitors. . ``But Disney seems to be as consistent as any studio.'' greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3758 |
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