Disney shutters Pixar Canada, leaves 100 people without a job

Disney has closed its Pixar Canada studio based in Vancouver, laying off 100 employees.

Pixar’s Canada studio had only opened three years ago, but Disney said that closing it will allow the company to focus all operations at the emeryville, Calif. studio. “A decision was made to refocus operations and resources under the one roof,” Disney spokesman Barb Matheson told The Province. “Staff were just told today. Not great news, obviously. It was just a refocusing of efforts and resources to the one facility.”

According to Variety, Disney had opened the studio for many of the same reasons other animation houses have been drawn to Canada: tax incentives. However, British Columbia has begun to pull back on the incentives. Variety suggests that if Disney is still interested in a foothold in Canada, it could move to Quebec or Ontario.

“The team at Pixar Canada is incredibly talented and we are so proud of the excellent work we have produced there,” a Pixar spokesperson told Variety in a statement. “However, as we look at the creative and business needs of our studio, we’ve made the decision to refocus our efforts and resources under one roof in Emeryville and will be closing the studio in Vancouver.”

Pixar Canada did produce a few shorts for Pixar, including Air Mater, Small Fry and the Toy Story short Partysaurus Rex.

The announcement comes at an interesting point in Pixar’s history, as the studio will not release a film until 2015. Both The Good Dinosaur and Finding Dory have been pushed back, as Dinosaur recently lost its director. That film isn’t set to be released until Nov. 25, 2015.

However, ABC is airing the special Toy Story of Terror on Oct. 16.

image: ABC

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