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Former Disney Animator: Marvel Layoffs Point to a Bigger AI Shift

Former Disney animator Tom Bancroft says Marvel layoffs reflect Hollywood’s shift toward freelancers, AI tools, and uncertain creative pipelines.

Written By
Caleb Kinchlow
Caleb Kinchlow
May 14, 2026
4 minute read

Transcription

The artists through the years, forever, have always been the ones that get this the shaft first. Marvel's cutting its visual development teams and shifting toward more project-based production. Joining me now is Tom Bancroft, former Disney animator who worked on The Lion King and created Mushu in the Mulan movie. So, Marvel just laid off the artists who built its visual identity. Um are they replacing human creativity with AI? Well, here's the interesting thing.

So, I I don't work at Marvel. I just want to say that out loud, but I heard from about two or three of them that uh were laid off. It wasn't necessarily because of AI. I do think that's probably part of it, but I but that they most studios don't have like in-house kind of employees. What they'll want to do is hire freelancers as they need them. And I think that's really what motivated this mostly was to kind of get all these people off the books. >> Marvel moves away from long-term teams goes to the more project-based teams, what happens to the creative process >> >> behind these films and different projects?

Well, Caleb, that's a great question because that's the one that people aren't thinking about. Uh and I mean the upper management people uh at the studios is that it takes a long time for a group >> >> of artists to gel and to get to the level that this group of artists did. I I went through this when I was at Disney Animation in Florida and they shut down that studio after we been going for over 10 years and we were we'd finished we'd done films like Mulan there and Lilo and Stitch, like really popular, very successful, and artistically at a very high level films. >> >> And then they just shut down the studio and we just scattered, right?

And they were probably working at a very efficient, high artistic level. And yeah, you shutter that and uh that that's you're not going to get that back once you just hire one or two here as as needed. All right. I I mean I think about, you know, obviously you worked on Lion King and you know obviously the the the key scene was Mufasa's death. So could a scene like Mufasa's death be made under this kind of system? The you know the pros are oh you might be able to go around the world and find just the right artists and >> >> can do that certain style that you wouldn't be able to find with maybe if you had in-house you know five in-house artists, right?

Um con is is that you also get on a timeline when you hire that way obviously. You're like okay I think we all have four weeks to develop that look and that style for Mufasa in the sky. And so when you have an in-house often times you can continue to develop it and develop and develop it even as the scenes are being animated because there's overlap between productions and and departments. Ooh. That's definitely makes sense on that. If an AI is trained on artists' past work and then replaces them, is that innovation or exploitation? >> Uh exploitation?

I don't know. Um you know honestly no I I mean it's hard to think of a scenario where that's a positive honestly where they've now trained and they don't need you anymore as an artist because you've helped train that that AI. And I do think we're seeing that. Here's here's my big problem. I I'm not 100% against AIs but artists through the years forever have always been the ones that get the the shaft first. Generative AI is definitely the area of AI that is targeting okay we can try and recreate art.

I'm one of those I'm in the camp of AI is not going to go away. Artists need to get involved in this process. We're we're running away. We're putting our hands up saying no AI no AI as I'm a business owner. Uh we need to sort of find our way to use this as a tool. >> >> And honestly could that benefit us in the long run? I do believe it will. Every like I work in animation, 2D hand-drawn animation in a lot of cases, and we have processes that we do that have been around for almost 100 years.

And so, is there ways to innovate that process and actually bring back 2D animation and and use AI as a tool? That kind of gets me excited. I don't want to see 2D animation go away, and right now with as expensive as it is and how entertainment industry is not spending the money that they used to spend, they're not wanting originals, they're not wanting to try anything new, what if we brought the prices down and we could do two films for this the price of one, maybe three, who knows down the road?

The average person could create a feature film with a small group of of I don't know, we'll say 30 people. Um is that really exciting? And does that get more content out there that we get and more ideas and stories that normally would have been in a drawer because we oh, we'll never be able to afford that. We can't move forward, it's always financing. Is there a happy ending to this? I don't I don't know, but I obviously, I don't want to be left out of that discussion.

I'm researching this every day practically on what are the new innovations that are happening, but we need artists involved. >> So, knowing what's happening with Marvel, Disney, and and other organizations, would you still recommend um young artists pursue this industry? I do. You know, I'm still very bullish toward it because I I I know I've been through the cycles, and that's my first answer is that I was a 2D animator when CG computer animation came along. Look, it's not dead. There's a lot of nostalgia for hand-drawn 2D animation, >> >> and there are possible ways forward.

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Hollywood’s creative teams are starting to feel the floor move beneath them.

Recent Marvel layoffs have renewed concerns that major studios are moving away from in-house artists and toward leaner freelance and AI-assisted production models. While Disney did not explicitly say the layoffs were due to AI, new CEO Josh D’Amaro wrote in an April 14 memo that the company is looking for ways to “streamline our operations” and build a “more agile and technologically-enabled workforce” to meet future demands.

Former Disney animator Tom Bancroft, who worked on The Lion King, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast, spoke with TechRepublic about how the Marvel layoffs reflect a broader shift that could change how animated and effects-heavy stories are made.

Are studios replacing human creativity with AI?

Bancroft says the artists he spoke with described the layoffs as part of a larger move away from permanent in-house creative teams.

“It wasn’t necessarily because of AI,” Bancroft continued. “I do think that’s part of it. But most studios don’t want in-house employees anymore. They want freelancers they can hire as needed.”

Still, AI remains part of the conversation. Bancroft pointed to ongoing reports that Disney has been training its internal AI models on decades of studio content, potentially laying the groundwork for future productions that require fewer artists.

“We already know the rumors are out there that Disney has been training internal models on their films,” he said. “That does sound like something Marvel could eventually do, too.”

The fear among many artists is not just automation itself, but the possibility that studios could use AI systems trained on creative work while gradually reducing the number of creatives involved in making future projects.

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What happens when long-term creative teams disappear?

AI-assisted tools could also help studios work faster and give artists more room to experiment during early development.

When used responsibly, they may reduce repetitive production tasks, speed up visual exploration, and make certain kinds of animation less expensive to produce. That could open the door for smaller teams, independent studios, or even hand-drawn projects that might otherwise struggle to compete with blockbuster budgets.

That upside could depend on whether studios use AI to strengthen creative teams or replace the conditions that make those teams effective.

Bancroft compared Marvel’s situation to Disney Animation Florida, where he worked for more than a decade before the studio was shut down despite producing successful films like Mulan and Lilo & Stitch. When studios dismantle established teams, Bancroft says they also lose years of collaborative chemistry and institutional knowledge.

“That team knew who was good at what,” he said. “They were probably working at a very efficient, higher artistic level.”

Freelance-heavy production models may offer flexibility and access to global talent, but Bancroft says they also tighten timelines and reduce opportunities for creative refinement throughout the production process.

More must-read AI coverage

Could a moment like Mufasa’s death still happen today?

Bancroft believes scenes like Mufasa’s death in The Lion King benefited from a production environment that allowed artists to continuously refine emotional and visual details throughout development.

With project-based staffing, that flexibility becomes harder to maintain.

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“You’re suddenly on a tighter timeline,” Bancroft explained. “You might only have a few weeks to develop the look and feel of a major scene.”

Traditional studio systems allowed departments to overlap, collaborate, and evolve scenes organically as production progressed — something Bancroft worries could become increasingly rare.

Bancroft: AI is ‘not inherently bad’

Bancroft doesn’t believe AI itself is inherently bad. Like many artists, he already uses AI-powered tools in certain parts of his workflow. His concern is specifically with generative AI trained directly on artists’ previous work.

“It’s hard to think of a positive scenario where artists help train an AI and then aren’t needed anymore,” he said.

At the same time, Bancroft argues that artists cannot afford to completely reject the technology.

“AI is not going away,” he said. “Artists need to get involved in shaping how it’s used.”

He even sees potential for AI-assisted tools to reduce production costs enough to help revive hand-drawn 2D animation — a format that has largely disappeared from major US studios.

Should young artists still pursue animation?

Despite the uncertainty, Bancroft says yes.

He remembers when computer animation first emerged, and many traditional animators feared hand-drawn animation would disappear entirely. While CG animation dramatically changed the industry, he believes there is still room for traditional artistry to evolve alongside new tools.

“The tools change, but storytelling still matters,” Bancroft said.

The bigger question is how studios will use AI as creative workflows evolve. For artists, the hope is that the technology supports long-term creative teams, preserves institutional knowledge, and still leaves room for the slow collaboration behind memorable storytelling.

Related reading: Amazon is facing its own workforce reset, with layoffs across several states as Fresh closures, AI investments, and post-pandemic restructuring reshape the company.
Caleb Kinchlow

Caleb Kinchlow is an Emmy Award-winning multimedia producer, digital lifestyle contributor, and parent technology advocate. He has hosted and produced syndicated content for NASA, Colonial Williamsburg, and The Weather Channel, and is passionate about helping families navigate technology and bridge the gap between parents and their children in the digital age. He is also the author of "Parents, Kids, and Technology: Raising Kids in the World of Technology."