The film presents a meditation
In the context of the upcoming release at The New York Times Op-Docs this week, the animated short film, titled Living With a Visionary, is receiving increased attention, given the participation of the Academy Award-winning directors KPop Demon Hunters, Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans. These professionals have accepted the role of executive producers for this award-winning work.
Culture picks
Snoop Dogg Film Taps Breaking Bad Aaron Paul & Avatar Actor for key roles
Resident Evil Leaves 2,500 Theaters After Hitting Final Box Office Milestone
New Legal Drama Tops HBO Max Charts, Surpassing The Gilded Age
Dominic West Joins Cast of Irish Feature A Weekend in the CountryThe film, which is an adaptation of John Matthias' autobiography, explores a mixed sweet and bitter perspective on the relationship between John and his beloved wife, Diana. This dynamic transforms profoundly under the influence of his treatment for Parkinson's disease. A synthesis of the work mentions how, as Diana's medicines provoke her vivid, often beautiful illusions, John, who now cares for her, adapts to her imaginary world.
The creation of Living With a Visionary was a three-year venture by Stephen P. Neary, who wrote, directed and animated entirely. He painted thousands of drawings, executed manually on overlapping layers of vellum, working at night and on weekends, while doing a full-time job as a narrative artist and teaching courses at the California Institute of the Arts.
The film presents a meditation on the 50-year marriage of a poet and an art curator who is dealing with Parkinson's. James Cromwell provides the narrative voice in this documentary.
The critical success of Living With a Visionary is already evident; it recently won the AFI Fest Jury Prize for Animation, after earlier this year being honored with the Sundance Film Festival Jury Prize for Animation.
Kang highlighted the difficulty of making
In addition to this recognition, Neary, who is known for his roles as creator and showrunner on Cartoon Network and HBO Max's The Fungies, and as supervising producer on Annie-nominated series Clarence, has a rich portfolio as a storytelling artist. This portfolio includes contributions to KPop Demon Hunters , The Super Mario Galaxy Movie , Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs , Rio and The Peanuts Movie .
Kang highlighted the difficulty of making this thrilling and splendid film, noting that Stephen managed to find time despite his full commitment to KPop Demon Hunters and family responsibilities. She expressed a mild concern about his sleep, but added enthusiasm for the general public who will see Living With a Visionary. Kang argued that animation requires unique stories, and the most powerful often come from unexpected sources.
Appelhans described Neary's work as a representation of the human soul, a structure of lines that successfully captures love, suffering, hallucinations, and human connection. He noted that the experience of listening to Cromwell's narrative allowed him to feel the pain of existence alongside the unshakeable power of love, considering it an extraordinary achievement in making the documentary.
Neary expressed deep gratitude for the support Kang and Appelhans provided for this small film, which he developed through drawings on paper over the years. Although KPop Demon Hunters and Living With a Visionary differ stylistically, he believes they both share an unfiltered emotional sincerity, capable of delivering the necessary release to viewers from a context they would not have anticipated: animation.
Living With a Visionary will join the other seven films in the 2026 Op-Docs program, which are considered nominees for awards, including Joshua Oppenheimer's The Revolution Against Death , The Tuners and A Wolf in the Suburbs . An exclusive promotional material, a behind-the-scenes animated trailer for Living With a Visionary*, is available for immediate viewing. This production manages to be much more than just a narrative; it's a deep exploration of the human condition, done with remarkable artistic mastery, demonstrating that the most authentic stories can come from the most unexpected corners of visual creation.
