Pixar’s highly anticipated Inside Out 2 has proven to be a box office hit, earning $1.6 billion in just three months. However, behind the film’s success, animators faced grueling working conditions, with many reporting excessive crunch periods.
“I think for a month or two, the animators were working seven days a week,” one former Pixar employee told IGN. “Ridiculous amounts of production workers, just people being tossed into jobs they’d never really done before… It was horrendous.”
The pressures of ensuring Inside Out 2’s success were reportedly compounded by the financial failure of Lightyear, which earned just $226.4 million. Some employees felt the studio’s future was riding on the success of Inside Out 2.
“That was the pressure felt by everybody,” one source shared. “We need this movie to succeed because we won’t have a studio [otherwise].”
Pixar’s crunch period led to significant layoffs earlier in 2024, with 175 positions cut. Many of those laid off were left without bonuses, which they had relied on due to lower base wages.
“I would venture that at least 95% of the people that got laid off are financially f*cked right now,” one source said.
The studio’s latest movie, Elio, appears to be following a similar pattern. Originally scheduled for release in 2024, it has been delayed until June 2025 due to significant story changes and production issues.
Though Pixar’s leadership has attributed the delay to the ongoing actors’ strike, sources claim the real reason stems from internal problems.
Despite the studio’s success with Inside Out 2, the strain on workers highlights the broader issue of overwork in the industry.
One former employee noted that while Pixar offered overtime pay and health benefits, the constant pressure and long hours were “not sustainable” for the team.
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