Walt Disney Animation Studios

Job ID 10139246 Location Vancouver, Canada Business Walt Disney Animation Studios

Job Summary:

About the Role & Team

Animators, grab your reels and prepare to do the best work of your life and join us in making timeless, inspiring films!

Be part of the longest running animation team in history. Work alongside legends. Use your animation powers for good and touch the hearts and inspire generations of audiences around the globe.

We want versatile CG Character Animators who show outstanding understanding of acting, appeal, entertainment, weight, locomotion, anatomy, and dialogue. If you're funny too, that's a plus. We want artists who will bring a distinctive point of view to every shot and bring characters to life with timing, truth, and a touch of surprise. Learn more about our filmmaking process here.

All positions are based in our Vancouver, BC studio starting in April 2026.

What You Will Do

• Effectively tell the story in a meaningful way through vibrant and compelling character acting and movement, reinforcing and pushing on the established style of the film
• Develop a solid understanding of vital digital tools (such as Presto) to create quality animation for feature films and other related projects
• Receive assigned shots in sequence review with the Directors providing general guidance
• Plan shots with an understanding of story/character context
• Block animation using audio dialog track
• Clearly show performance ideas and shot blocking in Director review (animation dailies)
• Closely collaborate with and take direction from Directors and Animation Supervisors, regularly communicating progress, issues, and solutions with leadership and collaborators
• Implement changes and completely finish shots in accordance with production schedule
• Adapt to different stages within a production (development, production, etc)
• Maintain an open and professional demeanor regarding direction, changes, and shifting requirements, supportively and thoughtfully collaborating with others

What We’re Looking For

• The ability to instill appeal into character mechanics, posing, and motion appropriate to the character and style of film
• The ability to design contrast, texture, and rhythm into your timing and spacing
• The ability to uniquely art direct and exaggerate shapes, poses, emotions, and ideas that best suit the character, scene, and overall film
• The ability to instill inventive choices into your performances that feel sincere and believable; choices that always feel specific and true to what a character is feeling and makes them feel like they’re living and thinking. Your acting should engage and surprise the audience and elevate the entertainment value of the scene and film
• The ability to adapt and contribute new approaches, thoughtful solutions, and risk failure responsibly

Requirements

• A reel that is no longer than 2 minutes in length of character animation that illustrates visual storytelling, believable expressions, emotional states, personality, appeal, entertainment, clear timing, weight, physics, balance, and staging
• Proficiency in Presto, Maya or equivalent software required

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in traditional hand-drawn, computer, or stop-motion animation a plus

Education

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

The hiring range for this position in British Columbia, Canada is C$90,400 to C$150,500 CAD per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other variable pay or benefits, may be offered dependent on the level and position offered.

About Walt Disney Animation Studios:

Combining masterful artistry and storytelling with groundbreaking technology, Walt Disney Animation Studios is a filmmaker-driven animation studio responsible for creating some of the most beloved films ever made. Disney Animation continues to build on its rich legacy of innovation and creativity, from the first fully-animated feature film, 1937's “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” to the upcoming fall 2024 feature, “Moana 2.” Among the studio's timeless creations are “Pinocchio,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Jungle Book,” “The Little Mermaid,” “The Lion King,” “Frozen,” “Zootopia,” and “Encanto.”

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with Walt Disney Animation Studios Vancouver Inc., which is part of a business we call Walt Disney Animation Studios.