Joshua Meador
Joshua Meador ( born March 12, 1911 in Greenwood, Mississippi; † August 24, 1965 in Mendocino, California ) was an animator, special effects artist and painter. He received in 1955 for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Academy Award in the category Best Visual Effects.
Life
When he was seven years old, his family moved from Greenwood to Columbus after his father, who was employed by the railroad, was transferred there. He married in 1931, his childhood sweetheart Libby. In the same year he began to study at the Art Institute of Chicago. After completing his studies in 1935 he moved with his wife to California, where he worked at the Disney Studios from 1936. Shortly after he took over the effects department, which consisted at that time of only three employees. In 1937, he animated in the animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the scene where the witch ascends the mountain by storm. His department, which had grown to 64 employees in 1940, also animated the movie classic Fantasia.
In the following years, films such as Bambi, Cinderella and Make Mine Music, where he worked among other things as a director. In 1954, he was responsible 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea together with his department for the special effects in the feature film. For this work he received along with John Hench the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. He left Disney in 1960 to have more time for painting. He died in the summer of 1965 of heart failure.
His son Philip, named Phil, also worked at the Disney Studios in the special effects.