Traditionally Animated Short Film "Snow Bear" from Former Disney Animator and Director To Be Available to All This Holiday Weekend

A recently debuted short film from former Disney Animator and Director, Aaron Blaise, Snow Bear, is set to appear on YouTube this holiday weekend making the sought after film available for all to see outside of a festival.

What’s Happening: 

• Aaron Blaise, master animator and co-director of the Walt Disney Animation Studios film, Brother Bear, is ready to show off his short film, Snow Bear, in an accessible way this holiday weekend.
• Launching on Friday, November 28th, the traditionally 2-D hand-drawn short film (though digital) will be available for all to see on YouTube, according to a post on his social media earlier today. 

• The film was written, directed, and animated entirely by Blaise, and marks a return to his roots of animal animation, drawing from his extensive experience in bringing creatures to life on screen.
• It follows a lonely polar bear who makes (quite literally) a new friend, and spends his days with his new pal. The short is so full of heart, humor, and a great conservation message. 
• That’s part of why (before this upcoming Friday) one of the rare places to see the film outside of the festival circuit were at screenings at select National Parks around the country. 
• We had the chance to see the film at the CTN EXPO in 2024, where the first screening drew (no pun intended) a standing ovation and cheering crowd. 

• The original social media post does not specify where to watch it on YouTube, though we imagine it will be Blaise’s official YouTube page that has also featured Snow Bear trailers and behind-the-scenes clips, which you can find below. 
• It is also unclear if the short will debut at a specific time, or how long the full short film will be available on the YouTube platform. 

• One of Aaron Blaise’s signature skills is his ability to animate animals with an incredible sense of natural movement, all of which is on full display in the short film. 
• Disney fans surely know of some of his work, largely during the famed renaissance era at the studio. He joined Disney in 1989 at the now-defunct Walt Disney Feature Animation Studio in Florida (yes, the one housed at the Disney-MGM Studios theme park), contributing to Beauty and the Beast under the watchful eye of Glen Keane on the Beast. 
• Later, he also worked on Aladdin where he led the animation and design of Rajah, and later the design and animation of Young Nala on The Lion King. 
• You may be noticing a trend with the animals, but he also has his fair share of human(-esque) characters under his belt, like Yao and the Ancestors in Mulan, and Pocahontas herself in Pocahontas.
• You can see more of his art in our video from the 2024 CTN EXPO below.