Pixar Cuts Vancouver Office

Pixar opened its 33,000 square-foot Gastown studio in 2010
Pixar opened its 33,000-square-foot Gastown studio in 2010.

Close to 100 animators and support staff get the pink slip as Pixar Canada shutters its Vancouver studio

Pixar Canada announced in a statement Tuesday that it will cease operations immediately, closing its Vancouver studio and leaving nearly 100 employees out of work.
 
The Gastown studio, which opened up in 2010, produced short animated films with legacy characters like Buzz Lightyear and Woody from the Toy Story series. Parent company Disney touted Vancouver’s talent base and proximity and shared time zone with Los Angeles when it expanded into Canada four years ago.
 
As recently as August 20, 2013, Pixar Canada was advertising openings for layout artists and animators out of its Vancouver studio.
 
In an e-mail to BCBusiness, Chris Wiggum, senior publicist at Pixar Animation Studios, thanked the studio’s employees for their work and attributed the closure to Pixar’s decision to centralize operations at its California headquarters.
 
“We’ve made the decision to refocus our efforts and resources under one roof in Emeryville and will be closing the studio in Vancouver,” said Chris Wiggum in an e-mail to BCBusiness.
 
The studios shorts, such as Air Mater, Small Fry and Partysaurus Rex, appeared at the beginning of Pixar’s feature-length films. Inside Out, which will be released in 2015, will be the last film to feature the Vancouver studio’s work.

Get an inside peek at Pixar Canada’s 30,000-square-foot Gastown studio space before the offices closed.