Career Opportunities with Disney

So You Wanna Be an Animator?

To become an animator requires many years of training with great emphasis on drawing. Interviews are scheduled only after an artist has demonstrated, in a portfolio, that they have achieved the high artistic level necessary for Disney animated films. The portfolio has to be approved by an artistic body called the "Review Board", which determines if the portfolio meets the needs of the Studio.

Training Requirements for Disney Animators

To become a Disney animator requires many years of art training and/or animation experience. First, you must possess a very strong, natural artistic talent. You must also be thoroughly familiar with good drawing mechanics. Animators are primarily creative draftsmen. They should be able to express their ideas clearly, forcibly and quickly with a pencil or pen. In order to do this, they must have mastered the skills of linear drawing. Great emphasis is placed on the ability to draw animals and figures in action, to express these actions convincingly and originally, not only in facial expressions, but also in pose structure and situation. It is helpful to get a strong art education that will develop your talent and teach the proper principles and techniques. Classes in life drawing, human and animal anatomy, perspective, composition, and quick sketching are invaluable.

Studio Positions

There are three areas in animation production: Artistic, Production Support, and Technologies.

Artistic:

Animator


The Animator's role is to establish the overall action and timing of the characters in rough drawings. Key Animators head each animation unit, consisting of the Animator, Assistant Animator and Inbetweener.

Assistant Animator

Assists the animator in cleaning up the rough key drawings with all the detail necessary for a finished drawing.

Inbetweener

Does the remaining drawings of a scene between the Assistant's cleaned up drawings.

Effects Animator

Responsible for all environmental and prop animation (as well as any computer animation and effects). Also has Assistant and Inbetweener positions.

Layout

Establishes the environmental atmosphere and cinematic approach for each setting in which the characters will be animated.

Background

Interprets the layout into color renderings.

Production Support:

Through this process, animation drawings are transferred to cels, painted and assembled prior to photography. Positions include jobs in Xerox Camera, Cel Inking, Cel Painting and Final Check.

Technologies:

Animation Camera


Responsible for photographing, on a frame at a time, sequential set ups of the animated character cels, effects and backgrounds onto continuous motion picture film.

Editorial


Combines the filmed animation with music, dialogue and sound effects, for a finished product.

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