Disney Veteran Malcon Pierce Explores Love, Loss and Resilience in His Deeply Personal, Oscar-Qualified Short, ‘Versa’

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Malcon Pierce, a longtime Disney animation veteran who has worked on Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Moana, used his and his wife’s personal experience to give flight to the poignant new, Oscar-qualified short, Versa. In the powerful, expressionist work, a young couple go through a range of emotions — from grief and loss to joy and acceptance, as they embark on a cosmic dance of life together.

“Grief, I’ve learned, isn’t something you finish — it’s something you live with, a way to keep love present.”

— Malcon Pierce

“This short was inspired by the path my wife and I have walked together — through the deep grief of losing our son Cooper and the quiet, fierce love it takes to keep choosing each other through it all,” says the director. “Versa began with the little star beside our son’s name in the Moana credits. We lost him on his birthday as production started, an experience that reshaped my wife, Keely, and me completely. Grief, I’ve learned, isn’t something you finish — it’s something you live with, a way to keep love present. When we later welcomed our second child, Casper, we found that accepting the loss let us keep Cooper close. This film is my way of sharing that journey and the enduring power of love through loss.”

The short’s title, Versa, is a play on both “universe” and “vice versa,” explains the director. “It reflects the constant shift between love and grief, how they orbit and transform each other. Even the design carries meaning: The lowercase ‘r’ represents the child in the story, a quiet symbol of the connection that inspired the film.”

Pierce began working on Versa near the end of 2016, sketching ideas and exploring movement while serving as head of animation on several Disney projects. “When we moved to Vancouver to help build the studio’s second location, I became the studio artistic director,” he recalls. “I officially began production on the short in 2023, and I’m so thankful for the incredible support that has kept the project moving forward all these years. From the official production start in 2023 to final delivery, it took about a year and a half. Around 150 artists contributed during production, and what I love about short films is that you can really get to know the crew on a personal level: It was such a joy to share the experience with everyone.”

The labor of love was produced using Maya for animation and Houdini for effects. “Because the characters relied so heavily on integrated lighting and fx, our lighting, effects, modeling and look-dev teams had to work more closely than usual,” Pierce explains. “Seeing everything combined early was essential for giving meaningful feedback on the characters, and that new level of collaboration was a really fun part of the process.”

The filmmaker says he wanted the animation to be lyrical and expressive, and for the characters to have a big range in their performance. “We pushed the physicality with the ice-dance sequences and worked with an amazing husband-and-wife ice-dance choreography duo, Katherine Hill and Olympic silver medalist Ben Agosto, along with skater/cinematographer Jordan Cowan, who filmed on the ice to capture what it truly feels like to glide,” says Pierce. “They really helped us push our animation and layout to feel true to ice dance, and they were so much fun to work with.”

Pierce says he loved the fact that he was involved in everything about the short, from the earliest storyboards to the final lighting. “This made it profoundly personal,” he notes. “It was humbling and I learned a lot. I think one of my greatest responsibilities was making sure the crew was having a great time and felt inspired to bring their best work forward, and I’m forever grateful for their artistry. Both incredibly rewarding and different.”

Power of Love

As Versa continues to play at various animation events and festivals around the world this year, Pierce is also busy co-directing an unannounced short. He’s tight-lipped about the details, but he does tell us this: “This short revisits one of Disney’s favorite characters, and I’ll have to leave it at that for now!”

For now, Pierce is hoping his deeply personal artistic short leaves an impact on audiences. “I’ve thought a lot about this, because the film is different from what audiences might expect from Disney,” he concludes. “I hope people feel the power of love and resilience — that even through loss there’s a way to keep those we love close. Maybe it inspires a slightly longer ‘goodnight’ when the kids get tucked in, or an extra ‘I love you’ during a phone call with family. And I hope that anyone navigating these emotions can see themselves in our story and find hope and know that they’re not alone.”

Versa will screen as part of the World Animation Summit on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at the Garland in N. Hollywood. Pierce also joins a panel spotlighting some of the top animated shorts directors of the year after the screening. Find out more at animationmagazine.net/summit.