Goodbye, my gentle friend.

Though I felt too lousy upon our return to instantly log some computer time, as soon as I did I got the bad news. It hit me in the chest like a physical blow. A very dear man who I'd met at LVMI (a magic conference in Las Vegas) had been killed in an auto accident. This dear friend was not just an unknown really nice guy, either. This friend has been responsible for some of the greatest animation you have ever seen. His name was Joe Ranft, and he was the storyboard supervisor on such films as Bugs Life, Toy Story I & II, Monsters Inc., and others. He was also the voice of Heimlich in Bugs Life (the caterpillar who wanted to be a beautiful butterfly), and Wheezy the penguin in Toy Story.

I met him at the magic conference, and we immediately connected. We both had passion for magic, and as fortune would have it, for animation as well. Soon after meeting, we headed off for a very long lunch. We mutually decided that we were having too good a time visiting, so we blew off the next lecture or two while we continued to visit. I don't really recall our talking much about magic, but I kept apologizing for talking about animation. He insisted that no apology was necessary, because he loved it that much too, and it wasn't like talking 'shop' to him. He told me that he was just finishing up on the film "Cars," and that it was going to be something special. I won't share what is special about it, I'll let the readers find that out for themselves. He wrote me after we went home from the conference, that the story crew had gathered for a wrap party at his home, and his wife was responsible for a wonderful party.

Joe was kind, gentle, and a man who was perfectly suited for what he ended up doing. Rather than being the best artist in the animation world, he was uniquely suited to 'pitching' a story. If he and his crew came up with a great story line, Joe was the guy to go in and make the story come to life. You may have seen still photos of a guy standing in front of a wall full of drawings, sort of acting out a part - that was Joe. He was a real entertainer, but not a guy who needed all of the attention in a room. If anything, he was more on the shy side. But, give him a story, a magic trick, or a need (or want) to come alive, and Joe was brilliant.

I told someone once that Joe was a guy who left people better off for having spent time with him, and wishing they'd spent more. He had a wife, a son, and a daughter, and the time he liked the best was when he was the stay at home dad. He loved his family. Joe, you and Heimlich have finally become that beautiful butterfly, and we are better off for having known you. God bless you and your family, and I'll never forget what you said was important in animation - the heart, the story. You were all heart, my friend.

Joe Ranft, 1960 - 2005, RIP