Joshua Lawrence "Josh" Meador (March 12, 1911 - August 24, 1965) was an American animator, effects animator, special effects artist, and animation

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

for the Walt Disney studios.

Biography

Meador was born in

Greenwood, Mississippi Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta region, approximately 96 miles north of the state capital, Jackson, and 130 miles south of the riverp ...

. His family later moved to Columbus, Mississippi in 1918. He later studied at the

Chicago Art Institute The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

. There, a fellow alumnus told Meador he was traveling to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

to be interviewed at Walt Disney Productions, and suggested for him to come along. At first, Meador refused as he wanted to do commercial art, but he was coerced into interviewing at Disney. There, he was hired to work in their animation effects department, where he worked on numerous films such as ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'', for which the studio won an Academy Award. Meador also created the animation effects for the 1956 MGM science-fiction film ''Forbidden Planet'', most notably the "Monster from the Id" that attacks the spaceship. Privately, Meador described himself as "first and foremost a painter", in which he painted more than 2,000 canvases and

impressionistic Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passag ...

landscape and seascape paintings. In August 1965, Meador suffered a heart attack and died at his residence in Casper, California. He is buried at

Friendship Cemetery Friendship Cemetery is a cemetery located in Columbus, Mississippi. In 1849, the cemetery was established on 5 acres by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. With . The original layout consisted of three interlocking circles, signifying the Odd F ...

in Columbus, Mississippi, which was also his hometown. There is a historical marker at his childhood home.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1911 births 1965 deaths American animators Special effects people American animated film directors American landscape painters Artists from Mississippi Landscape painters People from Greenwood, Mississippi Walt Disney Animation Studios people {{US-animator-stub