Role Call Roundup: Animation jobs from January 26 to February 1

February 3, 2025

As you were, recruits! And welcome to CartoonRecruit.com’s weekly Role Call Roundup. On the main page, I monitor and curate links to job posts (updated daily) from an ever-expanding list of animation studios. This blog is where I collect job posts from the past week and reflect on hiring trends across the animation industry.

This week, we collected 74 jobs — including 14 remote listings. In our job highlights, we examine recent posts at Warner Bros. Animation in Burbank, Industrial Light & Magic in San Francisco, and Blizzard in Irvine. Plus, our Bluesky Starter Packs are back!

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Studio highlights and analysis

Warner Bros. Animation has a well-earned reputation for being early to adult animation (with adaptations of comics storylines like Batman: Year One, Superman vs. The Elite and Justice League: Doom) as well as expanding the appeal of action animation to under-served audiences (from Static Shock to Harley Quinn). The studio is currently offering paid internships with three departments in Burbank.

Industrial Light & Magic is a VFX studio founded by George Lucas and later acquired by Disney. While the studio is best known for their work on Star Wars, they also contribute VFX to countless blockbuster movies including Deadpool & Wolverine, Alien: Romulus, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. ILM is currently hiring for three roles in San Francisco.

Blizzard Entertainment is a game developer in Irvine, California, which was acquired by Activision in 2008. Founded by Allen Adham, Frank Pearce and Michael Morhaime in 1991, the developer is best known for its franchises which include Warcraft, Diablo and Overwatch as well as the hit mobile game Hearthstone. This week, Blizzard is hiring for two artistic roles in Irvine.

Hybrid and on-site highlights

Want your next production to be inside an animation studio? Like, corporeally and not through a zoom call or through a haunted marionette? The jobs in this category include listings that are either entirely on-site or require a set amount of time collaborating with peers in-person throughout the week.

USA:

Jam City is hiring a 3D Art Manager (Burbank, California): “You will need to balance hands-on production work with educating and leading other team members to elevate the skills and knowledge of the 3D department.”
Pixar Animation Studios is hiring a People Team Specialist (Emeryville, California): “This role will be responsible for supporting various People Partner operations and people processes, from providing support for special projects as well as daily administrative and operational tasks.”
Sony Pictures Animation is hiring an Art Director (CG Features) (Culver City, California): “The Art Director (AD) works closely with directors, producers, and visual development team to visually explore, create and design all aspects of a CG feature, which may include: sets, locations, props, characters, visual effects, color and overall style.”
Riot Games is hiring a Principal VFX Artist (R&D Product) (Los Angeles, California): “As a Principal VFX Artist on the Research & Development (R&D) team, you will be responsible for all aspects of VFX prototype development, including highly iterative VFX for gameplay exploration.”
Walt Disney Animation Studios is hiring a Visual Development Artist (Costume Design) (Burbank, California): “We want collaborative designers who will bring original and unexpected thinking and passion to our team and enhance our artistic legacy of animated appeal.”
Hasbro is hiring a Principal Lighting Artist (Durham, North Carolina): “Design and implement high-quality lighting solutions to achieve the desired mood and atmosphere which align with the artistic direction of the game.”

Canada:

Toon Boom Animation is hiring a Social Media & Graphic Design Specialist (Montreal, Quebec): “We are looking for a Social Media & Graphic Design Specialist to manage our social media presence (70%) while creating compelling visual content (30%) that engages our audience in the animation industry!”
Mainframe Studios is hiring a 3D Shot Finaling Artist (Vancouver, British Columbia): “Under the guidance of the Supervisor, the Shot Finaling Artist ensures that all assets are caching properly for final lighting and is responsible for making necessary fixes to geometry to resolve issues such as intersections and penetrations.”
Electronic Arts is hiring a Senior Environment Artist (Iron Man) (Montreal, Quebec): “The Senior Environment Artist is responsible for leading the creation of high-quality, immersive environments in AAA games.”
Netflix Animation is hiring a Feature Animation Artist (Expression of Interest) (Vancouver, British Columbia): “Submit your information and/or portfolio to our database so we can consider you for roles in the future. If there’s a match to an upcoming role, a member of our Talent Team will be in touch with you!”
Guru Studio is hiring a Modeler & Set Dresser (Paw Patrol Specials) (Toronto, Ontario): “Using the 3D assets library to compose appealing sets, locations and stagings based on 2D designs and storyboards; Keeping up-to-date on location set dressing techniques and technology and proposing new tools/methodologies.”

UK:

Blue Zoo is hiring a Mid/Senior Character Modeller (London, England): “Our modelling artists are incredible character builders. They build characters with charming details that help tell stories. They are always keen and constantly striving to improve their skills and assets.”
Blue Zoo is hiring a Lead 3D Character Animator (London, England): “Their day-to-day focuses on managing their team, delivering characterful animated performances, expert comedic timing, charming acting choices, and maintaining production deadlines.”
Electronic Arts is hiring a VFX Artist (Guildford, England): “We're looking for a VFX Artist who can combine their technical knowledge of cutting-edge VFX with a creative eye for drama and composition.”
Locksmith Animation is hiring a Layout Technical Director (Bad Fairies) (London, England): “Locksmith Animation are looking for a Layout Technical Director (Layout TD), preferably with experience of CG animation, CG visual effects, or computer games development, to be involved in the development of our feature film front-end pipeline.”
Outpost VFX is hiring a DMP Artist (Bournemouth/London, England): “As a DMP Artist you are responsible for developing the highly realistic matte paintings used in our world class shots, using the latest 2D and 2.5D techniques.”

Australia:

Luma Pictures is hiring a Roto/Paint Artist (Senior Level) (Melbourne, Victoria): “The Roto / Paint Artist works closely with Compositors to help integrate all elements of an image to create film visual effects shots of the highest quality possible.”
Netflix Animation is hiring a Feature Animation Artist (Expression of Interest) (Sydney, New South Wales): “Submit your information and/or portfolio to our database so we can consider you for roles in the future. If there’s a match to an upcoming role, a member of our Talent Team will be in touch with you!”
Framestore is hiring a Compositor (Contract) (Melbourne, Victoria): “Framestore's Melbourne studio is looking to hear from experienced compositors to seamlessly integrate all elements and layers of a shot for a short 2 month contract, Feb – April 2025.”

Remote work highlights

Looking for productions which offer the flexibility to work from home full-time? CartoonRecruit.com sorts remote jobs into two categories. “Remote” is for jobs that can be performed within a wide geographic area, while “Remote (Local)” only allows for remote work in a specific city or region.

These distinctions can be important, as it’s not unusual for TV and film productions to be supported by tax credits which incentivize hiring employees in a particular region.

Remote highlights:

Blizzard is hiring a Principal Visual Development Artist (Cinematics) (USA): “The Principal Visdev Artist will play a crucial role in establishing the overall look of cinematic concepts for asset development, design, and illustration for an unannounced title, as well as other various projects as required.”
Ingenuity Studios is hiring a Digital Matte Painter (Canada): “This position will work closely with the VFX and Comp Supervisors to deliver projects in accordance with client deadlines and department timelines.”
Magnopus is hiring a Lead Animator (UK): “We’re looking for a talented Lead Animator to help shape the animation process and take a hands-on role in delivering standout, high-profile projects.”
Magnopus is hiring a Technical Director (UK): “As a Technical Director at Magnopus, you will oversee the technical direction of studio-based projects, guiding teams to deliver innovative solutions across gaming, immersive experiences, and real-time engines.“
One of Us is hiring a VFX Technical Supervisor (UK): “The VFX Technical Supervisor leads the implementation, optimization, and adoption of USD and Solaris workflows across all VFX disciplines.”
Scanline VFX is hiring a Senior Pipeline Developer (Houdini) (Canada): “The Houdini Pipeline Developer collaborates with Pipeline Leads to build a Houdini pipeline that spans lookdev, lighting, CFX, and FX, using USD and Solaris as a backbone.“
Scanline VFX is hiring a Senior Pipeline Developer (UK) “The Houdini Pipeline Developer collaborates with Pipeline Leads to build a Houdini pipeline that spans lookdev, lighting, CFX, and FX, using USD and Solaris as a backbone.”
Scanline VFX is hiring a Senior Pipeline Developer (Maya) (Canada): “The Maya Pipeline Developer collaborates with Pipeline Leads to build a Maya pipeline that spans Modeling, Rigging, Animation, and Tracking/Matchmove, using OpenUSD as a backbone.”
Scanline VFX is hiring a Senior Pipeline Developer (Maya) (UK): “The Maya Pipeline Developer collaborates with Pipeline Leads to build a Maya pipeline that spans Modeling, Rigging, Animation, and Tracking/Matchmove, using OpenUSD as a backbone.”

Remote (Local) highlights:

Framestore is hiring a Compositor (Contract) (Melbourne, Victoria): “Framestore's Melbourne studio is looking to hear from experienced compositors to seamlessly integrate all elements and layers of a shot for a short 2 month contract, Feb – April 2025.”
Magnopus is hiring a Senior Technical Designer (St Albans, England): “This position requires a unique blend of creativity, technical proficiency, and problem-solving skills, helping create engaging and polished interactive experiences.”
The Embassy VFX is hiring a Senior Lookdev Artist (Vancouver, British Columbia): “A Senior Lookdev artist at the Embassy has industry experience in film, commercials, and/or TV. They thrive in an environment with the freedom to leverage all aspects of our feature-film level pipeline to get assets to final.”
The Embassy VFX is hiring a Senior DMP Artist (Vancouver, British Columbia): “You will be responsible for creating high-quality digital matte paintings and environments, seamlessly integrating them into live-action footage and CG elements.”
ZŌIC is hiring a CG Stereo Compositor (Stop Motion VFX) (Vancouver, British Columbia): “Zoic Studios is a Visual Effects company that specializes in high end visual effects for television, film, and advertising. Our mantra is Visual Evolution - we focus on every part of the process, from the final picture to the pipeline used to create them.”

The return of Cartoon Recruit’s Bluesky starter packs

This week, I published my fourth starter pack on Bluesky. Starter packs allow users to recommend accounts to follow, making it easier for artists to reconnect with peers who were active on X, Instagram or Facebook. Each starter pack collects 149 accounts, for a total of 596 artists and industry professionals to get you started on the platform.

I try to include accounts who someone with an interest in the animation industry would want to follow. As with all starter packs (and mosts lists of anything) my selection criteria is somewhat arbitrary. As the lists collect professional artists who work on a wide variety of projects and commissions, you may encounter nudity or other mature content. Discretion is advised.

Want to be featured in an upcoming issue?

Are you responsible for hiring decisions at your studio? Get in touch with us on LinkedIn! We are currently working on Q&A discussions with recruiters at studios, and participating could put a link to your studio's career page directly in the inboxes of talented artists searching for their next productions.

We believe that the best thing that artists applying for a job can do is to research studios before they apply. Our goal is to provide specific advice for artists applying to very different kinds of studios.

Signing off for now

That’s all for this week, recruits! Have thoughts or feedback about our project? Feel free to message me by email at mike@cartoonrecruit.com, or send a DM to our LinkedIn page or @cartoonrecruit.com on Bluesky. I will do my best to reply to every non-spam message I receive.

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