If you're looking for the perfect original but nostalgic festive animation, this may be it. The veteran Disney animator Aaron Blaise has made his film Snow Bear available to watch for free on YouTube, and it's moving people to tears.
Three years in the making, the short film is a personal solo project from an animator who helped create blockbusters like Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and Pocahontas. With a powerful story, beautiful hand-drawn art and classic Disney animation principles, it's revealing a deep yearning for the traditional animation many people remember from their childhoods.
Snow Bear tells the story of a lonely polar bear on a quest to find a friend in an unforgiving environment. Working alone, Aaron created 11,000 drawings for the short film, drew the backgrounds in Photoshop and then animated in TVPaint (you can see how Aaron created the film in the making of video below).
The film has already won nearly 40 international awards, and now it can be watched for free on YouTube, many more viewers have been deeply moved by the project. Some say it made them feel like children again, filled with wonder by the magic of the 2D animation.
Many of those commenting on YouTube also point out the contrast with disposable AI art. While AI companies provide the tools intended to churn out content faster, this veteran Disney animator took three years to make an 11-minute film. People clearly believe the time was worth it, expressing an emotional connection that it's hard to imagine happening with AI.
Some people say they can see the love and care in every mark and can tell they were made by a human that the viewer can relate to
“My God, I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to watch a heartfelt, traditionally animated film. Amazing,” one person comments on YouTube. “This is what people want. No AI. No remakes. Just someone's passion, inspiration, and time,” someone else writes.
For some, that contrast with AI art also amplifies by the message of the film given the environmental damage caused by the technologies' demands on resources, seeing the it as a poignant elegy for a species and ecosystem but also for the golden age of animation. “I started sobbing because this is genuinely what AI is trying to take from us: heartfelt real hand-drawn animation, and the environment and habitats that these animals live in,” one person says.
People are also noting the attention to detail in Aaron's art, including the very subtle sexual dimorphism to distinguish the male and female bears without resorting to exaggerated differences in appearance.
Aaron has launched a Kickstarter campaign for a Snow Bear Card Game inspired by the characters and world of the film.
If you're inspired, make sure you check out our guides to the best animation software and the best laptops for animation. You might also want to see what we have to look forward to in animation in 2026.
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