WDI Special Effects Designer Intern, Orlando, Spring 2027 2026

Job Position(s): WDI Special Effects Designer Intern, Orlando, Spring 2027 2026

Disney is hiring a WDI Special Effects Designer Intern in Lake Buena Vista, FL for a six-month term running January 2027 through June 2027. This role sits within Walt Disney Imagineering’s Show Systems department, where the work involves designing, fabricating, and installing practical special effects for theme park attractions, a discipline that draws directly from theatrical and film production workflows. It suits a junior or senior-level college student with a background in industrial design, engineering, or the arts who has some hands-on experience with special effects or projection systems.

About the Role

Walt Disney Imagineering functions as its own production studio for themed entertainment, and this internship places you inside the team responsible for the physical effects that make attractions work. You will move through the full production lifecycle on one or more live attraction projects, from early concept development through field installation and operator training. A typical week mixes documentation work, coordination with design leads, and hands-on time in the field supporting installation and testing.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist the Special Effects Lead Designer through concept, design, and production phases, translating show requirements into practical effects solutions.
• Prepare and deliver scope documentation that defines special effects requirements for assigned attraction projects.
• Support field installation of special effects equipment, including test and adjust procedures before turnover to operations.
• Coordinate with internal production teams and external vendors to ensure technical and creative requirements align across disciplines.
• Provide maintenance and operations training support to park staff following project close-out.
• Work within SolidWorks to support design development of effects components and assemblies.

What You Bring

• Currently enrolled as a junior or higher at an accredited college or university pursuing a BA or BS in the arts, engineering, or a related field.
• Working knowledge of SolidWorks, with experience applying it to mechanical or effects design problems.
• Familiarity with special effects equipment, projection systems, optics, and materials processes as used in themed entertainment or theatrical production.
• Ability to develop a project plan and track progress against stated production milestones.
• Prior Disney theme park special effects experience or theatrical training is preferred but not required.

Why This Role

Imagineering is one of the few places where theatrical special effects design, themed entertainment production, and engineering converge under one roof, and this internship gives you direct access to that workflow on real attraction projects. The pay rate is $26.50 per hour for undergraduate students and $27.50 per hour for graduate students, with select medical and financial benefits available. Limited housing assistance is available through American Campus Communities for Florida-based interns.

Apply now for the WDI Special Effects Designer Intern role at Disney and get your start in themed entertainment production.