Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Walt Disney's Pixar Animation Studios has eliminated 75 positions including those of two executives behind box office disappointment "Lightyear," sources said on Saturday, the first significant job cuts at the studio in a decade.
The cuts included "Lightyear" director Angus MacLane, a 26-year animator who was part of the senior creative team on such acclaimed films as "Toy Story 4" and "Coco." Galyn Susman, producer of "Lightyear," also departed. Susman had been at Pixar since the release of the original "Toy Story" movie in 1995.
MacLane and Susman could not be reached for comment. Michael Agulnek, Pixar's vice-president of worldwide publicity since 2015, was also laid off, the sources said. He did not return a call seeking comment.
The cuts, which took place May 23, are part of Walt Disney chief executive Bob Iger’s previously announced plan to eliminate 7,000 jobs and slash US$5.5 billion in costs. That restructuring combined the film and television groups into a single Disney Entertainment unit and eliminated a division charged with distribution.
While small compared to Pixar's employee base of about 1,200, the layoffs are notable because the studio is a creative force generating franchises and characters that drive revenue across Disney.
Pixar is famous for cinematic franchises including "Toy Story," "The Incredibles" and "Cars." But "Lightyear," released a year ago with a reported budget of US$200 million, brought in a modest $226.7 million in worldwide ticket sales and received a mixed critical reception.
By contrast, Pixar's "Incredibles 2" in 2018, which was reported to have had a similar production budget, had worldwide box office sales of US$1.2 billion.
"Lightyear" could not be shown in 14 Middle Eastern and Asian countries because of its depiction of a same-sex relationship. This had an impact on its box office performance.
Disney has implemented layoffs in every division including film and television, streaming services and theme parks.
The last time Pixar cut jobs was in 2013, after the studio postponed the release of the 2015 film "The Good Dinosaur," and removed its director, Bob Peterson. About 30 positions were eliminated.
Disney acquired Pixar in 2006 to revitalize its struggling Disney Animation.
(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a Grade 4 student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.