The 75 employment losses at Walt Disney’s Pixar include executives from “Lightyear.”

The first big layoffs at Walt Disney's Pixar Animation Studios in ten years have resulted in the elimination of 75 posts, including those of two executives behind the box office flop "Lightyear," sources stated on Saturday.

The cuts included 'Lightyear' director Angus MacLane, a 26-year animator who worked on critically acclaimed films like 'Toy Story 4" and 'Coco'. Producer of "Lightyear," Galyn Susman, also left. Susman had worked for Pixar since the 1995 debut of the first "Toy Story" film.

It was impossible to contact MacLane or Susman for comment. According to the reports, Michael Agulnek, who has served as Pixar's vice president of global publicity since 2015, was also let go. When contacted for comment, he did not pick up.

The employment layoffs, which were implemented on May 23, are a part of Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger's previously disclosed strategy to cut $5.5 billion in expenses and 7,000 employees. In that reorganisation, a division responsible for distribution was dissolved while the film and television groups were consolidated into a single Disney Entertainment business.

The layoffs are important even though they are minor in comparison to Pixar's employment base of approximately 1,200 since the studio is a creative power behind popular brands and characters that generate funds for Disney.

Pixar is well known for the film series "Toy Story," "The Incredibles," and "Cars." However, "Lightyear," which was released a year ago with a $200 million projected budget, only made a meagre $226.7 million in international ticket sales and earned mixed reviews.

In contrast, Pixar's "Incredibles 2" in 2018 achieved worldwide box office revenues of $1.2 billion despite reportedly having a similar production budget.

Due to its depiction of a same-sex relationship, "Lightyear" was prohibited from screening in 14 Middle Eastern and Asian nations. This affected how well it did at the box office.

Every branch of Disney, including film and television, streaming services, and theme parks, has conducted layoffs.

The last time Pixar made employment cuts was in 2013, following the studio's decision to delay the premiere of "The Good Dinosaur," a 2015 movie, and fire its director, Bob Peterson. There were about 30 posts abolished. In order to revive its faltering Disney Animation, Disney purchased Pixar in 2006.