Character Animation Intern - Summer 2026

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.

Qualifications:

• 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

• Storytelling skills preferred

• Computer animation experience is helpful but not required

• 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

• This is a full-time position. You must be available to work on-site Mon 6.1.26 - Fri 8.21.26

Eligibility:

Traditional Academic Paths: 

• 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

Less Traditional Professional Paths:

• 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

Visa Sponsorship:

• Unfortunately, we are not able to sponsor student / intern visas at this time

Submission Process and Application Materials (Please Read Carefully):

• 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. If it has a password, please be sure to include an accurate password.

• Please note: social media pages are not an acceptable format for a demo reel

• In submitting your application, you are agreeing to the terms of our Submission Release Form. Without this, we are unable to consider your application.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Sunday, February 1, 2026

 

The pay rate for this internship in Emeryville is $22.50 per hour.