Walt Disney Animation Studios Hair Tools Intern, Summer 2025

Job Summary:

The software engineers on our Hair & Cloth team are responsible for developing and supporting the tools that the artists use across our hair and cloth pipelines, from grooming/tailoring to simulation rig setup and technical animation shot work. We seek an intern to partner with our Hair & Cloth engineers and artists to explore advances to our in-house grooming toolset and workflows.

Hair/fur grooming and simulation are heavily art-directed processes at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Our artists utilize a set of in-house interactive and procedural grooming tools to create a wide variety of hairstyles for our characters. Hair motion is subsequently driven by our simulation toolset. Therefore, the grooms need to be suitable for simulation, and at the same time, the simulation needs to maintain the art-directed groom.

This project focuses on investigating ways to advance our grooming workflows. Some goals include providing artists with even more intuitive, art-directed control while grooming and utilizing physics-aware hair manipulation / authoring to produce simulation-ready grooms by construction.

Projects Include:

• Reviewing related state-of-the-art publications
• Collaborating with artists and engineers in tool and workflow design and implementation
• Extending our procedural grooming tool to incorporate physics/simulation in some key components
• Designing interactive interfaces that provide a high degree of artistic control

Key Qualifications:

• Proficiency in C++, ideally C++11/14
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills
• Understanding of computer graphics foundational concepts and algorithms
• Experience designing and implementing interactive graphics toolsets with a focus on user experience

Bonus Qualifications:

• Enrollment in graduate program in Computer Graphics, Math, and/or related fields
• Advanced knowledge of physics, mathematics, and simulation techniques
• Familiarity with modeling animation toolkits, such as Maya or Houdini
• Knowledge of production workflows in an industry setting (especially relating to hair)
• Experience with scripting languages, including Python
• Ability to write performant parallel code

Education:

Currently working toward a Master’s with a major in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related field.

Program Details:

• Location: Burbank, CA.
• Program Length: May/June – August/September 2025 (12 weeks).
• Full-time, 40 hours per week.

Eligibility Requirements:

At the time of application:

• Must be enrolled in an accredited college/university, taking at least one class in the semester/quarter (spring/fall) prior to participation in theinternship program AND returning to school the semester/quarter following the internship OR currently participating in aDisney College Program or Disney Internship.
• Must be at least 18 years old
• Must possess unrestricted work authorization and provide full availability for the entire program duration.
• Must provide your own housing and transportation during the internship.
• Have not completed one year of continual employment on a Disney internship or Disney College Program.

The pay rate for this role in Burbank, CA is $45.00 per hour. Select benefits may be provided as part of the compensation package, such as medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered. To learn more about our benefits visit: https://jobs.disneycareers.com/benefits.

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 the upcoming fall 2024 feature, “Moana 2.” Among the studio’s timeless creations are “Pinocchio,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Jungle Book,” “The Little Mermaid,” “The Lion King,” “Frozen,” “Zootopia,” 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 Walt Disney Pictures , which is part of a business we call Walt Disney Animation Studios .

Walt Disney Pictures 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.

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