One of the central and most important things that good art does is display the beauty of truth and goodness. That is what sets apart the great artists from mere technicians of a craft. Animation is one of the most technically demanding art forms you will find. It requires a series of skills and a level of collaboration that almost no other art form requires. That is why it is both incredibly expensive and time consuming. But when you experience the work of a master like Glen Keane, you understand why it is worth every penny. His short Dear Basketball, made in collaboration with Kobe Bryant, captures childlike joy. It is moving and beautiful and makes you want to go play basketball. It invites you to feel how good it is and builds up our desire for the truth that it displays.

In the hands of Keane, truth is put forth so clearly that its deep beauty is undeniable. As a craftsman of his art he is as near to the top of the game that you can get. As the son of Bil Keane, the creator of Family Circus, he has a generational advantage and we are all the beneficiaries of his blessing, but this also flows from his deep Christian convictions and his commitment to think deeply about the truth.

The combination of craft expertise and a deep and loving knowledge of the truth gave us beautiful moments like the transformation of the Beast in Beauty and the Beast. He made a note to himself on the bottoms of his pencil sketches of this scene that read "2 Corinthians 5:17":

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

He sees how beautiful the truth of regeneration is and applies his expertise to its display:

 

In our day, there are certain truths that are under attack. Often we respond to the attacks by getting defensive, going after the hypocrisy of the deliverer of the falsehood, or by getting offended and huffing and puffing. But truth is beautiful and that beauty is often the most powerful defense that can be offered.

Glen Keane wrote and directed a short film called The Duet. Watching it now almost feels revolutionary because the central truth that it is celebrating is one of those truths that is denied up and down at present. Men and women are different, and that is wonderful. The love between a man and a woman is so powerful that it can weld together such completely different metals. Together, those differences fit together in such a powerful way that new people simply pop into existence through their love. It’s true. It’s good. And Glen Keane reminds us that it is beautiful.

 

At Loor.tv, our goal is to create a platform where the beauty of truth and goodness can be put on display. Where the ugliness of lies can be exposed. Where those that have been working on their craft will have the freedom to display the glory of truth, beauty, and goodness. A place where artists can be freed from the ideologies that want to use their skills against humanity.

Did you notice how many names were in the credits of even this simple short film? That is why animation is expensive. We are working to build a funding mechanism that can supply the funds necessary, even for expensive art like animation. We want to get our defense off the field and start playing offense. Share this post with your friends and join our mailing list today to keep up to date as we continue to build the platform that will make it all possible.

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