Environment Designer

Job ID 10160864 Location Burbank, California, United States Business Walt Disney Animation Studios Date posted Oct. 02, 2026

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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. Learn more about our filmmaking process here.

We’re looking for Environment Designers who have 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 also key skills in breathing life into our worlds. The ability to work both traditionally and in digital media including 3d is appreciated. We welcome artists who will bring inspirational and unexpected ideas and research to our filmmaking and our team. We encourage and embrace original thinking and passion.

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 your designs with thoughtful research and inspire through your 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 your work that enhances the storytelling of your 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

To apply for this position you must upload a portfolio and a resume consisting of your 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 any of your work is password protected, please include the password with your application (even if just included on your resume)
Social media accounts may be submitted as supplemental material but should not be your primary portfolio (websites or multipage PDF files submitted via a Google drive preferred)

At Walt Disney Animation Studios, we believe strong design builds unforgettable stories. We can’t wait to see the worlds you’ll help us create!

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. The base pay actually offered may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, among other factors. Select benefits may be provided as part of the compensation package, such as medical, financial, and/or other benefits. To learn more about our benefits visit: https://jobs.disneycareers.com/benefits.

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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 2025’s “Zootopia 2.” Among the studio's timeless creations are “Pinocchio,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Jungle Book,” “The Little Mermaid,” “The Lion King,” “Frozen,” “Moana” 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 The Secret Lab, which is part of a business we call Walt Disney Animation Studios.

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 us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.

To learn more about Disney's policies on the use of AI for candidates, click here.

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Hiring Process

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Explore this Location Burbank, CA

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