We now have an official number for this week’s layoffs at Walt Disney Imagineering. A notice filed with the state of California confirms that Disney is permanently laying off 159 employees at its Glendale campus, the longtime home of Walt Disney Imagineering, the team that designs and builds Disney’s theme park attractions around the world.
What the State Filing Shows
The layoffs were disclosed in a California WARN notice. Under the state’s WARN Act, large employers must give at least 60 days’ notice before a mass layoff, and those notices are published by California’s Employment Development Department. The notice was filed on October 27 and lists:
- Employees affected: 159
- Location: 1401 Flower Street in Glendale, California
- Type: Permanent layoffs
- Effective date: December 29, 2026
The filing does not list specific job titles or projects. The Imagineering connection comes from the Glendale address, which is Imagineering’s headquarters, and from earlier reports about where the cuts landed.
How We Got Here
On Wednesday, October 28, the Los Angeles Times reported that Disney was laying off between 100 and 200 employees in its Disney Experiences division, the part of the company that oversees the theme parks, Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Cruise Line and Aulani. Most of those cuts were expected to come from Imagineering. A person familiar with the matter told the Times that the layoffs stemmed from a regular evaluation of the division’s priorities, investments and project timelines. Disney declined to comment.
The 159 figure falls right inside that 100 to 200 range. Because the filing only covers the Glendale location, the total number of people affected across Disney Experiences could be different.
This is the latest in several rounds of layoffs across The Walt Disney Company in 2026, following earlier cuts in other parts of the company this fall. We covered Disney’s warning that it would become a much smaller organization and Dana Walden’s comments on the layoffs earlier this season.
What It Could Mean for Upcoming Projects
Imagineering is a project based organization, so when a project’s timeline shifts, the number of people needed on that team can change too. That lines up with the explanation given to the Los Angeles Times about a review of priorities and timelines. A project being deprioritized doesn’t necessarily mean it has been canceled.
For Walt Disney World fans, Disney has not announced any changes to its major projects. The first phase of Monstropolis at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom both remain slated to open in 2027.
Overseas, the picture may be different. According to a report from Puck, Disney has put plans for a second theme park at Shanghai Disney Resort on the back burner, and a significant portion of the Imagineering cuts were tied to that project. Disney has not publicly commented on the report.
The Bigger Picture
The timing has surprised many fans, since Disney has more theme park projects in development and under construction than at any other point in its history. With new lands, attractions and resorts on the way at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, Imagineering has never been busier.
Behind the numbers are 159 talented people who help create the magic so many of us love, and their final day comes just after the holidays. Our thoughts are with everyone affected, and we hope to see their creativity continue to shine wherever they land next.
We’ll keep following this story and update you if Disney shares more about how these changes affect upcoming projects. You can also read more about how Walt Disney Imagineering is bringing AI into attraction design.
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