Storyboard Artist Internship this Summer at Disney Studios!
23. Jan, 2013 
18 Comments
Great news for future storyboard artists: Walt Disney Animation Studios has just announced their 2013 Summer Internships for Story Artists!
Disney Features’ Summer Internship Program is an eight-week experience designed for current students studying art, design, animation, computer graphics, graphics engineering, film & media, and production management. Applicants must be a current student returning to school in the Fall of 2013.
Summer interns will have the unique opportunity to work directly with a Disney mentor as they explore all aspects of art, storytelling, and filmmaking. This immersive program offers hands-on experience focused on individual craft and multidisciplinary team collaboration.
The 2013 Summer Intern program will be held at Disney’s Burbank, CA studio starting Monday, June 17, 2013.
Story Artists translate story ideas into visual sequences. By working with other members of the production team, they will develop the cinematography and staging of the film; choosing initial camera placement and angles; defining action and camera movement. They must also convey the essence of storyline, scene structure, character emotion, and create action and humor in alignment with the overall direction of the film.
Portfolios demonstrated skills should include:
- Strong gestural draftsmanship, the ability to draw very loosely and roughly yet with clarity in character appeal and acting
- Strong understanding of cinematography and narrative staging with visually clear shot flow applied throughout work
- Versatile range of character-driven story sequences preferred. Showcase through a variety of genres and conveyed emotion including: comedy, action, romance, suspense, drama, musical
- Sequences do not need to be a full film in length but should have a clear beginning, middle, and end
- Strong understanding of acting and entertainment value
- Life Drawings required
- Sketchbook samples, animal zoo drawings required
- Character moments helpful
- Caricatures helpful
- Uploaded multipage PDF portfolios or digital animatics preferred
Application Requirements:
- The deadline for applications is Monday, April 16 at 11:59 PM PST
- You must be a current student returning to school in the Fall of 2013
- Create or update your online profile at at careers.disneyanimation.com/login where you must include a resume and reel/portfolio/reel breakdown (where applicable)
- You must upload a letter of recommendation from your university’s program chair to your online profile.
That’s all the info…good luck!
FFFFFFFFFFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Is there anyway to get an internship if you AREN’T a student?????
The reason they only offer internships to students is because it’s illegal to have people work for free, unless they are getting college credit in exchange. Some people will enroll in college part-time just to get the internships!
Does anyone know if this opportunity is open to students outside of the USA? (I am UK based).
Hi Helen…the requirements listed above do not specify country of origin. Of course, the internship is in Burbank, USA, so you would need to move to California to take part in the internship. Don’t be afraid to do some research, call up the Disney studio and ask them!
is it best to apply super early or work on some extra material and apply closer to the deadline?
Hi Anton…I think it would be a good idea to take some time to make sure you’re submitting the best material — I’d have to imagine that they will not make their choices until after the deadline has passed. Just don’t wait TOO long; Make sure to get your portfolio turned in at least a couple weeks before the deadline to avoid any unexpected delays.
Hi, I wonder if only graduate school students can apply for the intern? Because the website for submitting porfile says,
“To be eligible for our Talent Development Program, you must have graduated from a College or University within the past three years. Are you eligible for this program?”
Or it’s another programme different from internship?
Thank you.
Hi Chang..right above that, it says,”To be eligible for our Summer Internship, you must be attending a College or University and must be returning to school after the program ends.” The “Talent Development Program” appears to be different from the internship, especially because they requirements for the two programs are so different.
so can you be a highschool student about to graduate and go on to college or do you have to be enrolled in a college already?
Hi Shanon — it does seem a little vague on that point, but after looking closer I found this: “You must upload a letter of recommendation from your university’s program chair to your online profile. ” That seems to imply that the applicant would need to be currently enrolled in college, otherwise there’s no way the applicant could get the letter from the university.
If you’re still in high school, I recommend two things: Make sure to get into a good college with a strong art/animation program, and keep checking back here at the blog for next year’s openings. Good luck, and keep drawing!
Would you happen to know if they accept digital sketches? I figure the animatics can be done digitally since that’s what they do in studios, but what about animal sketches and model drawings?
Hi Elena—the post mentions “Uploaded multipage PDF portfolios or digital animatics preferred,” so just include all your digital sketches in your digital PDF portfolio.
International students need a strong speaking and writing skills in English, so do we need a TOEFL?
Hello, I have gotten in contact with the head of the animation/multimedia department of my college for a letter of recommendation, but he wanted to know if the internship program would prefer a sealed/mailed copy or an emailed copy (since the portfolio/resume/etc are to be turned in online, I wasn’t sure).
Hi Ash — all of the information that I have is in the post above, but you may check through the links on the page at https://careers.disneyanimation.com/job_groups/job_description?id=282 Good luck!
Say someone is a top student with a great portfolio and they get accepted to both of their dream internships. How would they go about choosing if they like them both equally?
How do we know if we were chosen or not?
Hi my name is Icey I am not studying art, but I’ve been drawing since I was in the second grade. I’m in college but I’m taking up general I was going to transfer and study art. The only reason I decided to take up general is because I didn’t get the education I needed from high school. But it would be awesome if you guys choose me.