I may have just seen the most beautiful animation sequence I have ever seen in my life, and I say that without hyperbole. The elegance, dignity and grace of the animation nearly brought tears to my eyes. The sequence was animated (no doubt by a team led by) Josh Meador. His name may be familiar, he was a Disney veteran, one hell of an effects animator. You know… Josh is the guy who put all those delightful sparkles around everything. Anyhow, like them or not, he did a fantastic job. Additionally you can see Josh Meador in the Disney short “4 Artists Paint One Tree.” It was a little art documentary in which four Disney artists go out and paint the same tree. Actually, I wasn’t that excited about Meador’s painting on that outing, but everything else I’ve seen him do has been masterful, and this bit of animation is his masterpiece.

It was filmed for Disney’s “20.000 Leagues Under the Sea,” but never used. The scene depicts life in the ocean depths, and includes some breathtaking passages. It is all too short, but packs a visual wallop. I suppose you could find it on Youtube, but that just won’t do it justice. I have the 2 DVD set from Video Rodeo now, so when I’m done with it, you can find it there. It’s tragic that such a masterpiece of animation has been relegated to the status of a nearly forgotten and lost bonus feature… but am I ever grateful it has been saved and shared.

If you love animation… you have to see this piece.

(No link posted because I know this post will outlive it on Youtube, the video will not doubt be pulled and uploaded in endless circles)