Disney cuts 159 jobs at Glendale design hub

Walt Disney Co. will eliminate 159 positions within its Experiences segment based in Glendale. The company disclosed the cuts in a regulatory filing this week. The reductions will occur in two waves. The first wave of 151 job losses will be complete by the end of December. An additional eight positions will be cut by February 28, 2027.

The Experiences segment covers Disney’s global theme parks, cruise line, and the Aulani resort in Oahu. It also includes the Imagineering campus in Glendale, which handles creative design for attractions and resorts. Jim Bowden, Disney’s head of employee relations, wrote to the state’s Employment Development Department on October 27. He confirmed that the layoffs are permanent. The notice specified that the cuts affect employees who take direction from the Glendale offices.

The affected roles include landscape architects, project engineers, and technical directors. The list also includes ride development engineers, show set control engineers, and designers. Disney submitted these documents to comply with the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. This law requires employers to notify regulators when they lay off more than 50 employees.

These cuts follow a series of personnel reductions at the company this year. In April, Disney announced the elimination of 1,000 roles. In July, the company cut hundreds of additional jobs. Disney also offered early retirement buyout packages to certain executives during the summer. CEO Josh D’Amaro and CFO Hugh Johnston told investors in early August that further reductions might occur.

The current round of layoffs adds to a pattern of staff reductions in the region. In October 2025, Disneyland in Anaheim laid off 100 salaried employees. The resort, which is the largest employer in Orange County, made those changes ahead of the holiday season. Disney has filed multiple layoff notices with the state over the past year. In April, the company filed a notice regarding 53 layoffs at its Disney Entertainment Operations facility in Burbank.

A Disney spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the scale of the layoffs across the region. The company continues to adjust its workforce structure following the initial wave of cuts announced earlier in the year.