Mickey Mouse has left the metaverse.

Walt Disney Co. has eliminated its next-generation storytelling and consumer-experiences unit, the small division that was developing metaverse strategies, according to people familiar with the situation, as part of a broader restructuring that is expected to reduce head count by around 7,000 across the company over the next two months. …

All of the team’s roughly 50 members have lost their jobs, the people said.

[Well, it was a goofy idea anyway. (Rimshot!) Seriously, though, the first metaverse story might have been interesting and original, but by the 347th, it gets tiresome. The truly remarkable part of the success of “Everything Everywhere All At Once” was that it took a metaverse concept and used it to tell a different story, but even that would make any other similar venture less original and more derivative now. Maybe Disney should hire people to come up with original ideas instead of chasing the theme-of-the-month club. — Ed]