KPop Demon Hunters directors board animated short Living With a Visionary
Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans have joined as executive producers on Stephen P. Neary's documentary Living With a Visionary ahead of its New York Times Op-Docs premiere this week.
Documentary joins awards slate
Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, directors of KPop Demon Hunters, have officially boarded the animated short Living With a Visionary as executive producers. The film is narrated by James Cromwell and was written, directed and animated by Stephen P. Neary. It explores a poet's fifty year marriage to an art curator who grapples with Parkinson's disease. Earlier this year, the documentary received the grand jury prize in animation at AFI Fest.
Production details revealed
The project is an adaptation of John Matthias' memoir about his relationship with wife Diana and her illness. While employed full time as a story artist and instructing classes at the California Institute of the Arts, Neary created the film alongside Mireia Vilanova. He created thousands of drawings by hand on intersecting layers of vellum over three years during nights and weekends. Among his earlier works are KPop Demon Hunters, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs.
Directors praise emotional work
Kang stated she is worried Neary does not sleep enough while balancing his family life and major animation projects. Appelhans described the film as a sketch of the human soul that captures love, grief and connection through lines. Neary expressed gratitude for their support on this small film he spent years drawing on paper. This work is one of nine movies on the Op-Docs 2026 lineup considered potential award winners.
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