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Disney Experiences Layoffs Hit Up To 200 Workers, Mostly At Imagineering In Glendale

Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Park

Disney Experiences layoffs reached the company’s theme park division on Wednesday, with between 100 and 200 people losing their jobs, the Los Angeles Times reported. Scott Gustin confirmed the report later in the afternoon and added that most of the affected employees are based at Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, the team that designs Disney’s parks, rides and resorts.

Disney declined to comment to the Times, which cited a person familiar with the matter. Everyone affected was set to be told by the end of the day Wednesday.

Why Disney Is Making These Cuts

The Times’ source tied the layoffs to a regular evaluation of the division’s priorities, investments and project timelines. Gustin put it in similar terms, saying the cuts are tied to shifting project priorities. Neither report named specific projects, and nothing so far says any announced expansion has been delayed or canceled.

The timing stands out. As the Times pointed out, Disney has more parks-related projects in progress than ever before. Imagineers are working on new lands at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, the DisneylandForward expansion in Anaheim and a growing Disney Cruise Line fleet, all at once.

The cuts are limited to Disney Experiences, which runs the theme parks, the cruise line and Aulani in Hawaii. It is also the company’s biggest moneymaker. In fiscal 2025, the segment brought in $36.2 billion in revenue and more than 56% of Disney’s total operating income.

Every Round Of Disney Layoffs In 2026

This is the first round this year to reach the parks side of the company, but it is far from the first round of cuts at Disney in 2026. Here is how the year has played out since Josh D’Amaro took over as CEO in March.

  • April: About 1,000 roles were eliminated after D’Amaro told employees in an April 14 memo that Disney needed to “streamline our operations in various parts of the company.” Marketing and brand teams were hit hardest, with cuts also reaching the studios, TV networks, ESPN, product and technology, and corporate.
  • July: Several hundred more jobs were cut across corporate functions and businesses. Pixar took the largest share on the studio side, with at least 116 people laid off at its Emeryville headquarters according to TheWrap, while National Geographic accounted for most of the cuts in the TV group. ESPN also made cuts.
  • August: Disney offered voluntary early retirement packages to longtime executives, from director up to executive vice president, in Disney Entertainment, ESPN and corporate. To qualify, they had to be at least 50 years old with at least 10 years at the company. Disney Experiences was not part of that offer.
  • September: On September 29, Disney laid off a few hundred employees in its human resources and technology departments, according to Reuters. Some outlets put the number at about 300.
  • October: The Wall Street Journal reported on October 1 that Disney is planning a restructuring of its television business that could cut hundreds more jobs. That plan has not been carried out yet. Now the parks division has been hit too.

The Times reported that this latest round is not related to the earlier job cuts. All of it is part of an effort by D’Amaro to sharpen the company’s focus and help it respond faster to a changing entertainment industry. Before he became chief executive, D’Amaro ran Disney Experiences, the same division now absorbing these cuts.

Disney has not said which teams inside Imagineering were affected or how many of the cuts fall outside Glendale, and it has not announced any change to opening dates for projects already underway. The next chance for an update comes soon: Disney will report its fiscal 2026 earnings on November 17, when executives typically speak about the parks business and its spending plans for the year ahead.

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