Character Animation Intern - Summer 2026

Disney • Emeryville, CA

43d • Onsite

About The Position

Pixar offers an exciting 12-week, classroom-based animation internship designed to provide students with hands-on experience, mentorship, and exposure to a professional animation production environment. This program is an excellent opportunity to learn directly from working animators and experience what a “day in the life of a Pixar Animator” is truly like.Throughout the 12-week internship, animation interns will collaborate closely with mentors and will:• Use Pixar's proprietary animation software to complete a series of acting and animation assignments that challenge and develop your skills.• Gain a working understanding of the animation production pipeline.• Participate in animation dailies and receive feedback from professionals.

Requirements

• Strong understanding of traditional animation principles, demonstrated through a demo reel showcasing clear, compelling, and entertaining character acting
• Educational foundation that demonstrates knowledge of physical motion, weight, balance, texture, and form
• Aesthetic sensibility demonstrated through an online demo reel or portfolio
• Organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable working quickly in a collaborative environment
• Positive attitude, strong work ethic, and team-oriented mindset
• You already possess the legal right to work in the United States
• Minimally a junior in college working towards a degree or certificate in animation, illustration, film or a related field
• Recent graduates who are within the first year after graduation are eligible to apply
• Career Transition: Those with a minimum of 5 years post-college graduation and whose professional experiences in a work/academic environment differ vastly from animation, VFX, gaming, and other computer graphics-focused industries
• Armed Forces: Those who have served in the armed forces and are in a retraining program
• Home Schooled: Those who are self-taught via an alternative educational path
• Attach a single PDF file containing your cover letter and resume.
• Provide a link to your online demo reel in the "Demo Reel” section of the application; without this, you are not eligible for the internship.
• In submitting your application, you are agreeing to the terms of our Submission Release Form. Without this, we are unable to consider your application.

Nice To Haves

• Storytelling skills preferred
• Computer animation experience is helpful but not required

Responsibilities

• Use Pixar's proprietary animation software to complete a series of acting and animation assignments that challenge and develop your skills.
• Gain a working understanding of the animation production pipeline.
• Participate in animation dailies and receive feedback from professionals.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees