Disney Imagineering Layoffs Put at 159 in California Filing

A California WARN notice (the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filing required for mass layoffs) puts 159 permanent layoffs at Walt Disney Imagineering's Glendale campus, effective December 29. Walt Disney Parks & Resorts US, Inc. filed the notice on October 27. That's the first firm number for cuts the Los Angeles Times had pegged at roughly 100 to 200 jobs a day later.

What does the filing actually say?

The notice lists concrete details for one site:

• Company: Walt Disney Parks & Resorts US, Inc.
• Location: 1401 Flower Street, Glendale, California, Los Angeles County
• Type: Permanent layoff
• Employees: 159
• Notice date: October 27
• Effective date: December 29

The filing names no specific roles or projects. The Imagineering connection comes from the address and prior reporting. The notice also covers only Glendale, and the layoffs were not exclusive to Imagineering, so the total across Disney Experiences (Disney's parks, cruise and consumer products division) could exceed 159. As of October 29, Disney had filed no WARN notices in Florida.

Federal law generally requires 60 days of notice for mass layoffs. That's why affected employees get about two months between the notice and the December 29 effective date. In plain words: the filing converts a rumor into a hard, dated headcount.

How does 159 fit the earlier reports?

The Times' source tied the cuts to a regular review of the division's priorities, investments and project timelines. Imagineering is a project-based organization. Teams grow and shrink as projects move forward or backward on Disney's schedule. A paused or reshuffled project can cut near-term staffing without meaning Disney canceled anything.

Disney also has more parks projects in progress than ever, according to the Times. So while 159 jobs at one campus is notable, the workforce remains positioned to finish them, and a long list of attractions, lands and ships is still moving forward. Takeaway: this reads as pipeline rebalancing, not a retreat.

What happens to the 2027 openings?

Nothing in the notice changes the announced project slate. Phase one of Monstropolis and Tropical Americas should still hit their 2027 opening targets. Piston Peak National Park, Villains Land and the new Disney Cruise Line ships appear on track, and major work continues at Disneyland, starting with the previously announced Tomorrowland reimagining.

CEO Josh D'Amaro toured Monstropolis, Tropical Americas and Lakeshore Lodge with the Imagineers building them on October 20. All three are scheduled to open at least in part in 2027.

The timeline so far

• April 14: D'Amaro confirmed layoffs in a company memo, without naming divisions.
• October 20: D'Amaro toured the three projects under construction.
• October 27: The WARN notice lists 159 permanent layoffs in Glendale, effective December 29.
• October 28: The Los Angeles Times reported 100 to 200 cuts in the theme park division.
• October 29: Blog Mickey confirmed Imagineering was hit by layoffs tied to shifting project priorities.

Disney reports full fiscal 2026 earnings on November 17, and that report may clarify where Disney Experiences stands after the cuts.