About the role
Job Summary
Environment Designers visually explore and collaborate in the creation of story-driven animated worlds and their interior logic through the depiction of design ideas, dramatic story moments, mood/tonal pieces, and prop and vehicle designs that all serve a film’s narrative needs. Artists also prepare technical designs for downstream departments including technical orthographic drawings, breakdowns, and full render texture reference to inform the art direction of downstream departments.
The ideal candidates possess a rich imagination, a sense of whimsy and appeal, stylistic versatility, and masterful drawing and painting skills. Expertise in design, perspective, color, both architectural and organic forms, and a general knowledge of the CG process are key skills in breathing life into worlds. The ability to work both traditionally and in digital media including 3d is appreciated.
What You Will Do
- Design inspiring worlds, spaces, and moments based on a director’s vision that convey information and storytelling.
- Translate designs into detailed technical drawings and surfacing rendering to support collaboration across downstream departments.
- Communicate with downstream departments to clarify requests, provide context, and find solutions.
- Authenticate designs with thoughtful research and inspire through art.
- Collaborate thoughtfully and respond constructively to direction.
What We’re Looking For
- Ability to bring unique and interesting solutions to design challenges.
- Ability to create cinematic compositions that convey storytelling, creating shots instead of illustrations.
- Ability to evoke mood and feeling in work that enhances the storytelling of images.
- Ability to utilize dynamic relationships of color & value structures to convey specific emotions and story points.
- Adaptability to varying film styles and director tastes, reinforcing and furthering the established style as needed.
- Adaptability to the different stages within a film (such as development, production, marketing, etc) as well as evolving workflows and tools.
- Openness to new approaches, workflows, and tools and risks failure responsibly.
Requirements
- Proficiency in Photoshop.
- Professional experience required, feature animation experience preferred.
- Bachelors degree or equivalent experience.
Portfolio Requirements
Applicants must upload a portfolio and a resume consisting of environment design work. Portfolios should include:
- Paintings and environment designs that demonstrate stylistic versatility and a strong understanding of specificity, storytelling, lighting, observation, mood, clarity, staging, color, perspective, and appeal.
- Illustrations of narrative moments, character and environment interactions encouraged.
- Observational studies.
- If work is password protected, include the password with the application (even if included on the resume).
- Social media accounts may be submitted as supplemental material but should not be the primary portfolio (websites or multipage PDF files submitted via a Google drive preferred).
Compensation and Benefits
- The pay rate for this role in Burbank, California is $60.69 - $71.68 per hour, which follows the pay scale agreed upon in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
- Base pay offered may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
- Select benefits may be provided as part of the compensation package, such as medical, financial, and/or other benefits.
About Walt Disney Animation Studios
Walt Disney Animation Studios is a filmmaker-driven animation studio combining masterful artistry and storytelling with groundbreaking technology. The studio is responsible for creating films ranging from 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to 2025’s Zootopia 2, including titles such as Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Frozen, Moana, and Encanto. This position is with The Secret Lab, which is part of Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Equal Opportunity Employer
The Secret Lab is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information or disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help the company grow, innovate, create the best stories, and remain relevant.