Thomas the Tank Engine (seen here in its original iteration), will soon debut as an all-CGI series. © 2005 Gullane (Thomas) Limited. A HIT Ent. Co.

No, now that the shock has settled, and I have cried the tears I had to cry, I can only celebrate what a cool guy he really was, in spite of his shortcomings, which were may, as the war left him with deep emotional scars that never fully healed.

I dedicated my book, Elemental Magic to my mother and father. Three weeks after my father passed away, I held my first copy in my hands. He never got to see it. Missed it by that much. And that really hit me hard in the gut. I cannot think of anything I have ever wanted more, than for my father to see that book. To actually hold it in his hands, see its reality, its enormity, and see his name in the dedication: "To my parents, Frank and Tommy." Of course, I had told him about the book, and he knew it was being published, but hell, it never really sank in for me until I actually held it in my hands, and that's after working on it for four years! Yes, he knew in a way, but his memory wasn't what it used to be either, and there's no telling how clear an idea he actually had of what I was doing with my life.

And here I get to the meat of it.

Ever since I decided on a career in animation, I have struggled to somehow live up to my father's expectation of what kind of a man I should be. He thought that I should learn a "real" trade, or be a pilot, or an engineer, or anything except an artist. His reaction when I told him that I was going to take a college level course in animation was incredulous. He felt that I was sadly deluded if I ever thought I was going to make a decent living or gain any kind of success or respect making cartoons! He laughed at the idea. But boy, was he ever wrong. I made more money than he ever dreamed of making cartoons! But did he ever really acknowledge it? Not really, not to my immediate knowledge.

Of course he was somewhat impressed that I was working for a great big corporation like Disney, and that I was able to buy a beautiful four bedroom home with a swimming pool in Florida, with the fishing boat, the SUV, the mini-van, the dogs and cats, the whole enchilada. But try as I might, I never really heard a word out of him that reflected any real respect for what I had done, which was making cartoons.

But you know what? My mother told me, shortly after he passed away, that when I wasn't there, (which was most of the time) he spoke about me and the wonderful things I had accomplished MAKING CARTOONS, with glowing pride and admiration. He bragged about his "successful" son to his friends. He was a proud as a father could possibly be, he simply didn't know how to express it directly to my face, bless his broken heart.

So wherever you are Dad, this is for you, on top of my book, I want to dedicate this moment to you, this little place in cyberspace that you never even experienced, (my father never owned or used a computer or even glimpsed the internet). Like I did with my little ode to you on my Facebook page, I want to honor you here, in my final installation of "The Animated Scene," my humble little animation column that I have been writing for three years now. I want you to know that I sewed your Royal Canadian Air Force wings and captain's stripes on my motorcycle vest, and that every time I fly down the highway on my Valkyrie, I will be flying with you.

And I want you to know that animation is an absolutely magical, wonderful, inspiring art form, and that I am extremely proud to be a part of its history.

And to all of you who have responded to me, supported me, or even criticized me while I have been writing this column, thank you for being a part of it. Good luck in this momentous new year. We have our work cut out for us, but change, no matter how difficult, it a wonderful thing, and God knows, we need to change...

In his 30-year animation career, Joseph Gilland has worked with studios as diverse as Walt Disney Feature Animation and the National Film Board of Canada. He has worked on all styles of animation, experimental films, television series, commercials, theatrical feature films, stop motion, title sequences, live-action films and documentaries. His book, Elemental Magic, is now out.