Disney to cut 159 Glendale jobs by February 2027

Walt Disney Co. plans to eliminate 159 positions in its Experiences division, a move that follows a string of job cuts across the company this year. The regulatory filing submitted this week details the specific timeline for these reductions. The company will let go of 151 employees by the end of December 2026. Another eight workers will be affected by February 28, 2027.

The affected roles are tied to the Glendale, California campus. This location serves as the creative design hub for Disney's theme parks, resorts, and attractions. The Experiences segment includes the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, but it also covers the company's cruise line fleet and the Aulani resort and spa in Oahu. The layoffs are not limited to park operations. They also impact the broader portfolio of entertainment properties managed by the division.

Jim Bowden, Disney's head of employee relations, confirmed the nature of the cuts in a letter filed with the state's Employment Development Department on October 27. He stated that the layoffs are permanent. The actions affect employees who take direction from the Glendale offices. The filing lists specific job titles, including landscape architects, project engineers, and technical directors. It also names ride development engineers, show set control engineers, and designers.

The company submitted the notices to comply with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. Known as WARN, the law requires employers to provide advance notice when they lay off more than 50 employees. A Disney spokesperson was not immediately available to comment on how widespread the cuts are across the region. The filing provides the official count but leaves some local impact details to be determined.

These reductions follow other workforce changes at the company this year. In April, Disney announced the elimination of 1,000 roles. A further round of hundreds of job cuts occurred in July. The company also offered early retirement buyout packages to certain executives in the summer. Josh D'Amaro, Disney's Chief Executive Officer, and Hugh Johnston, the Chief Financial Officer, told investors in early August that additional changes might be on the way.

The trend of layoffs has been consistent over the past twelve months. In October 2025, the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim let go of 100 salaried employees. That move was described as a recalibration of the business ahead of the holiday season. The company has filed multiple layoff notices with the state's Employment Development Department during this period. In April, one such notice covered 53 layoffs at Disney Entertainment Operations in Burbank.