© 2025 by Jeremy Spears and Nathan Engelhardt
Fresh off a recent nomination for Best Animated Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards®, we caught up with the creators of “Forevergreen,” a SIGGRAPH 2025 Electronic Theater selection. Here, Directors Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears reflect on the inspiration behind the orphaned bear cub, the metaphor that shaped the film, and the collaborative artistry of 200 volunteers who carved this animated world for the big screen.
SIGGRAPH: SIGGRAPH 2025 was truly a special event, especially during the first screening of “Forevergreen” to our Computer Animation Festival Electronic Theater attendees. This film captivated our audience and tugged on the heartstrings of many. As you reflect on the event, what did that experience mean to you?
Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears (NE and JS): Being a part of SIGGRAPH and the Electronic Theater was a dream come true. We recall attending SIGGRAPH as students in the early 2000s, where our favorite exhibits were Emerging Technologies and the Electronic Theater. We always hoped to one day have a film of our own featured there, so seeing that dream realized is a wonderful feeling!
SIGGRAPH: Can you offer some insight as to what inspired the story of this orphaned bear cub? Was there a “lightbulb” moment where you knew this was the story you wanted to create?
NE and JS: We have always wanted to tell a faith-inspired story about unmerited grace and unconditional love. The “lightbulb” moment occurred when Jeremy found an image of a large Sequoia tree bridging a divide with a waterfall in the background. Coincidentally, I (Nathan) had previously drawn a very similar image to explain our faith and God’s love to a co-worker, reminiscent of a classic Bible tract. This incredible alignment solidified our decision that this was the path we needed to pursue for the project.
SIGGRAPH: “Forevergreen” has a unique approach to the visuals of the animation. Can you talk about the early stages of the design process and how you landed on the texture-based approach?
NE and JS: One of the opening verses in the Bible, Genesis 1, states, “God created man in His own image.” Since our project had a deeper, faith-inspired message, we wanted the Bear to feel as if it had been carved from the tree in an allegorical way similar to that passage. Given that we were telling a story about trees and Jeremy is a woodcarver, it was a natural fit to build something using his unique wooden style.
We both love stop-motion and the classic Rankin/Bass films, so when considering how to animate a wooden tree and bear, I (Nathan) immediately thought of replacement animation. It was the perfect vehicle to avoid bendy CG limbs that would break the “truth of materials” illusion. Our goal was to make the characters look as if they were unique wood carvings for every frame of animation, and our incredible look and texture artists made that vision possible!
SIGGRAPH: Did you run into any roadblocks when pursuing this visual approach?
NE and JS: While we encountered many roadblocks during production, the visual approach itself was not one of them. It took some time to fully realize, largely because the project was completed by 200 volunteers who donated their time and talent in their off hours. We initially had doubts about whether this ambitious concept would work or if the oscillating textures and geometry — intended to simulate an imperfect, unique woodcarving — would be too busy and distracting. Fortunately, we worked with some of the best look artists in the world, such as Colin Eckart and Rich Fallat, who made it all possible.
SIGGRAPH: Why did you decide to submit your work to the SIGGRAPH 2025 Computer Animation Festival? What does SIGGRAPH mean to you?
NE and JS: SIGGRAPH is an incredible conference and festival that we have always dreamed of being a part of, so submitting our film was a must.
SIGGRAPH: “Forevergreen” recently earned a nomination for the Best Animated Short Film category at the 98th Academy Awards®. Congratulations! What was your first reaction when you heard the news? Did you ever imagine you’d reach this point with this animated film?
NE and JS: We have a reaction video on our film’s Instagram page (@forevergreen_short_film) that captures our team’s excitement, but needless to say, we were both surprised and ecstatic! You never make a film specifically to win awards, so being nominated or winning is an incredibly humbling and joyful experience. It is wonderful to know our film is resonating with the hearts and minds of the audience.
SIGGRAPH: What advice do you have for aspiring animators that you wish you could go back and tell yourself?
NE and JS: When it comes to storytelling, make sure to tell the truthful story that is on your heart. There’s bound to be criticism and disappointment, but stay focused on telling that story!
What story are you ready to share? Submit it to the Computer Animation Festival for a chance to be featured at SIGGRAPH 2026! And if you want to hear more from Nathan and Jeremy, check them out on the SIGGRAPH Spotlight podcast.
Nathan Engelhardt is an Animation Supervisor who has worked on films like Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Frozen 2, Encanto, Rio and more. Most recently, Nathan has written and directed an independent animated short film called “Forevergreen,” which will be his directorial debut.
Jeremy Spears is an Annie Award Winning Story Artist and has helped create beloved characters and stories for films such as Encanto, Wreck-It Ralph, Zootopia, Moana, and Frozen. In his free time, he creates unique wooden sculptures in his Whittle Woodshop. His latest passion project is directing the independent animated short film “Forevergreen.”
