Character Artist

The Character Artist plays a key role in bringing Disney Characters to life across both 2D and 3D product applications. This position is responsible for creating high‑quality, original character artwork for a wide range of product uses, supporting regional EMEA needs, and contributing to 3D character art approvals. Working closely with the Senior Character Art Manager, the Character Artist will develop artwork for assigned Characters and provide support on additional creative requests as required. Through outstanding, commercial and authentic interpretations, the role helps enhance and grow the GPC business while protecting and celebrating Disney's character equity and storytelling heritage. This role involves managing projects of varying complexity and building strong collaborative relationships across the character art community within The Walt Disney Company. This role will be based in our London Hammersmith office, 4 days a week, with either a Monday or Friday working from home.

Values

You’ll join a team grounded in our Disney values, acting with Integrity, welcoming everyone through Inclusion, embracing boundless Creativity, working together through Collaboration and caring deeply for our Community. These values shape how we work and how we support one another every day.

What You Will Do

• Partner with the Senior Character Art Manager to develop high‑quality character illustrations for style guides and portfolios across multiple franchises and business divisions.
• Ensure timely delivery of 2D and 3D character approvals and corrections, maintaining consistency, artistic excellence, and brand integrity across all product applications.
• Act as a key point of contact for EMEA teams on character art and brand equity queries, providing clear and trusted creative guidance.
• Contribute to idea generation by developing new art styles and techniques aligned with marketplace trends, and identifying character art innovation and whitespace opportunities.
• Provide creative direction and feedback to external freelance artists, licensees and suppliers to ensure all artwork meets Disney's quality and brand standards.
• Attend relevant trade shows and exhibitions to gather inspiration, explore emerging creative trends, and deepen understanding of the business and consumer landscape.
• Maintain full compliance with corporate and brand guidelines, ensuring character and design consistency across all outputs.
• Actively contribute ideas for franchise and business growth, including participation in brainstorming sessions and cross‑team creative initiatives.
• Offer hands‑on creative support to the team, including archiving assets, backing up work, and producing digital presentations as required.
• Encourage collaboration and asset sharing across GPC, driving efficiencies through shared materials, XLOB initiatives, and best‑practice ways of working.
• Help build and nurture a strong character art community across GPC at The Walt Disney Company, fostering collaboration and creative excellence.
• Uphold consistently high character art standards across the EMEA region.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Degree‑level education in a relevant creative discipline (such as character art, illustration, animation or graphic design), or equivalent professional experience, with a proven track record in a similar role within the creative, entertainment or consumer products space.
• Strong expertise in character art, including a deep understanding of cartooning, cartoon animation principles, and how character artwork translates into product and storytelling. Experience drawing Disney characters and working with established character equity is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to create high‑quality 2D artwork across multiple styles, using both traditional and digital methods, with proven experience in digital inking and rendering. Experience with 3D modelling and working across additional mediums such as sculpting, painting and drawing is beneficial.
• Strong foundation in design fundamentals, including illustration, layout, colour and typography, combined with excellent graphic design capability and a sharp eye for detail.
• Advanced working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Photoshop and Illustrator, with experience using Keynote and other creative tools to produce presentations, pitches and visual storytelling materials.
• Commercially aware and creatively curious, with a strong understanding of marketplace and consumer trends and the ability to identify fresh, innovative opportunities within character art and product design.
• Confident communicator and creative storyteller, able to generate, present and successfully sell creative ideas to internal and external partners in both formal and informal settings.
• Proven experience building effective relationships and collaborating with stakeholders within a large, multinational, matrixed organisation, demonstrating strong communication, collaboration and stakeholder‑management skills.
• Resourceful, adaptable and culturally sensitive, with the ability to work effectively across diverse, international teams while maintaining consistently high creative and brand standards.

The Perks

• 25 days annual leave
• Private medical insurance & dental care
• Free Park Entry: You will have the opportunity to enter any of our parks with your family and friends for free
• Disney Discounts: you are entitled to discounts on designated Disney products, resort F&B and ticketing
• Excellent parental and guardian leave
• Employee Resource Groups - WOMEN @ Disney, Disney Mosaic, Disney PRIDE, our disability & neurodiversity focused group - ENABLED, and our Mental Health & Wellbeing Group, TRUST.

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive to be a diverse workforce that is representative of our audiences, and where all can thrive and belong. Disney is committed to forming a team that includes and respects a variety of voices, identities, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.