The Film
Living with a Visionary is a 2026 animated short film written and directed by Stephen P. Neary, based on John Matthias’ memoir first published in the New Yorker in 2021. Illustrated and animated entirely by hand on sheets of vellum and paper, the film is a labor of love portraying the beauty and tragedy of a decades-long marriage tested by the onset of a global pandemic.
Director’s Biography
Stephen P. Neary is a Hoosier-born writer, director, and storyboard artist living in Los Angeles. Stephen created The Fungies! for Cartoon Network and HBO Max, serving as Executive Producer for the show's three seasons, which premiered in 2020. Prior, Stephen served as Supervising Producer for seasons two and three of Cartoon Network's Annie nominated show, Clarence. Graduating NYU in 2008, Stephen was a feature story artist at Blue Sky Studios for five years on franchises such as Ice Age, Rio, and The Peanuts Movie. In 2012, his independent short, Dr Breakfast, animated on his daily commute from Brooklyn to Connecticut, was an official selection in The Sundance Film Festival. Stephen currently works as a story artist for clients including Netflix, Illumination, Annapurna, and Sony, most recently on the Netflix sensation KPop Demon Hunters. Stephen teaches at CalArts, and paints goofy little autobio comics about his family, which you can read on his Instagram.
Director’s Statement
After his wife Diana's passing, University of Notre Dame English Professor John Matthias wrote a long letter to friends and family, detailing the uniquely devastating circumstances of his wife's decline, as well as the events that led to his own dehumanizing commitment to a psych ward. John was surprised to learn that a colleague in academia had submitted the letter to The New Yorker, where it was later published in the Feb 1, 2021 issue. Striking a chord world-wide, John received hundreds of letters and emails from readers, many grieving losses of their own.
I read the New Yorker article during the pandemic, with a newborn, trying to run a cartoon show from home, with our studio caught up in a labyrinthine corporate merger that would cost us all our jobs. Something about John’s article allowed me to fully grieve all the crazy events that had happened in the past few years. It’s impossible not to draw parallels to your own life–the decline of my grandmother due to dementia years prior, my parents aging as my own family grows, the feelings of powerlessness, all alongside a strange sense of beauty in the absurd. I reached out to Matthias in 2022 about adapting the article into an animated short film, visually inspired by the work of Canadian animator Frédéric Back. I understood that no major studio would support it, but I felt deeply touched by my conversations with John, who told me, “I think it’s something Diana would have liked.”
While I’ve learned so much from working as a director and storyboard artist in animation for the past 17 years, it was my hope to apply those skills towards something beautiful and sincere, something not necessarily for kids. For the past three years, I have slowly animated this film in a shed in my backyard, in between working as a storyboard artist on projects like Kpop Demon Hunters and teaching at California Institute of the Arts. As artists worry about how AI will end our industry, I found it extremely satisfying to hand-render the thousands of drawings on overlapping layers of vellum and watercolor paper. I loved experimenting, building up translucent layers to mimic depth-of-field, approaching each unique shot like a paper puzzle to be solved, scanning every scene one frame at a time. I wanted the visuals to compliment and enrich the narration rather than outright mirror them. And more than anything, I wanted the emotions to feel earned rather than forced. Striking the proper balance is always tricky, and I prefer to reference live-action work as a better emotional comparison–filmmakers like Sarah Polley, Kelly Reichardt, and Edward Yang. Work that initially feels a little restrained, but builds to an earned conclusion. I wanted to do John’s story justice.
In the film, the Chinese poem on the wall translates to: “Life is like morning dew.” Life is brief, and to be appreciated while it lasts. John's memoir is a powerful reminder, one I felt grateful to sit with. Thank you for watching.
Sundance Film Festival 2026: Meet the Artist