DreamWorks Animation has cut 4% of its staff, eliminating 70 jobs. It seems the reasons are due to a downward cyclical turn in the business, production costs being on the rise, as well as placing some of the blame on labor strikes.
“DreamWorks Animation reduced its workforce by approximately 70 positions,” a DreamWorks Animation spokesperson said. “Roles affected were across corporate functions, feature, television and technology departments as part of an overall cost-reduction.”
This comes after the company announced the decision to move away from in-house production, housed in Burbank, CA.
The company hopes to turn some of this around with the third installment of the “Trolls” franchise, “Trolls Band Together.” The film, set to release on November 17th will feature several big-name actors like Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Camila Cabello, Eric André, Kid Cudi, Troye Sivan, Daveed Diggs, Amy Schumer, RuPaul, Kenan Thompson, and more. The film will also feature the boy band *Nsync reuniting after 22 years to perform a song for the soundtrack. Hopefully, these elements align to give the studio the profitable hit it needs to avoid more cuts.
DreamWorks Animation also has the animated feature “Orion and The Dark” coming down the pipeline. That film is done in partnership with Netflix, where it will debut in 2024. The upcoming movie is directed by Sean Charmatz from a script by Charlie Kaufman. Featuring a voice cast including Jacob Tremblay and Paul Walter Hauser.
We’ll keep you posted on any updates about the situation at Dreamworks Animation. Hopefully, the 70 lost positions are where the layoffs end.
