As a Traditional Animation Trainee, the first four months of your program are structured to introduce you to the art of traditional animation, our studio culture, and our production environment providing you with nurturing mentorship with Disney artists. Your first month will allow you to train across the disciplines of traditional character animation, effects animation, and cleanup. You will then be able to commit to a single discipline of interest for the remainder of the training. A four month review provides you with real-time feedback and determines future assignments and promotional opportunities that would bring your skills into real-time production environments.
The trainee position is open to artists who are 18 years or older and are either recent graduates or have less than three years of industry experience. Here’s more about how the program is set-up:
It’s been a decade since Walt Disney Animation Studios made its last hand-drawn feature – 2011’s Winnie the Pooh – but the studio may be rethinking that approach.
Image at top: Animation development test of Moana by Randy Haycock.

Your animation reel should demonstrate a strong understanding of acting and animation principles such as dialogue, pantomime, timing, clear staging, squash and stretch, anticipation, follow-through, and secondary action. Prior training should include anatomy and solving problems in weight, balance, movement, space, and proportion.

Even though Disney gutted its hand-drawn animation division back in 2013, the four mentors in this program remained and have been involved with various hand-drawn projects at the studio like the series of Goofy “How to Stay at Home” shorts that were released on Disney+ earlier this year, various shorts in the studio’s Short Circuit program, and the new “Drawn to Life” stage show that premiered last month at Walt Disney World’s Disney Springs. They also do animation development tests, draw-overs, and consulting on the studio’s cg features.

The studio put out a job listing yesterday for a traditional animation trainee to take part in their 2022 talent development program. The 12-month paid position will include training in hand-drawn character animation, effects animation, and clean-up under the mentorship of four highly respected Disney veterans: Eric Goldberg, Mark Henn, Randy Haycock, and Rachel Bibb.
To apply for the job, go to Disney’s website.

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