Breaking: Pixar Canada Just Shut Down; 100 Employees Let Go [UPDATED]
Just three years after it opened, Pixar Canada shut down today leaving over one hundred people unemployed, according to the Province. A Disney spokesperson, Barb Matheson, said that, “A decision was made to refocus operations and resources under the one roof. Staff were just told today. Not great news, obviously. It was just a refocussing of efforts and resources to the one facility.”
The studio, which worked primarily on shorts based on existing Pixar IP, had created films like Air Mater, Small Fry, and Partysaurus Rex. The news took a lot of people by surprise, including Partysaurus Rex director Mark Walsh, who posted this simple message on his Twitter account:
Pixar Canada animator Daniel Floyd is taking the whole thing in stride:
Sarah McNair, Pixar Canada’s director of human resources, calls it the saddest day of her professional career:
UPDATE: On Monday, just one day before the studio closure, the Province paper published this article about Pixar Canada’s studio space.
“Is there a place more beautiful than Vancouver?” asks John Lasseter. Real question: how much longer do you think this video will stay online?
