Take his very first scene in the film as an example. The staging tells us that this is a character that is all about comfort and self satisfaction - mostly through food. Lounging in a nest of raspberries, his actions are clear, direct, and easy to read. As he tosses a berry into the air and catches it with his mouth with a perfect rhythm - toss, tongue, catch -- his little epicurean waltz is interrupted with the sudden lack of satisfaction (due to Flit’s having speared a berry in mid air) and it’s punctuated by his tongue searching for the morsel and coming up empty. 60 frames, 40 drawings, less than three seconds of film. Those ten little frames, ten drawings total - that comprise the beat where Meeko’s tongue is searching for his meal - are bare bones comedic perfection. No doubt, Ranieri devised them and timed them out in his standard and exacting approach. As technical as that sounds from his description, something has to be said for a skill much like a baker; knows exactly what to reach for when he dips his fingers into the sugar bowl for a pinch versus a dash. It’s not a measurable thing, it’s a feeling. It’s just right.

The same is true of the small moves that punctuate the scene where Meeko first encounters John Smith. As Smith exits, chased off by Dave Pruiksma’s Flit, he leaves behind one last hard tac biscuit and a happy raccoon. Here Ranieri once again finds the perfect touches. Inside of 155 drawings, 225 frames, Meeko finishes off the last biscuit, then licks two fingers, then does a fastidious little brushing of crumbs from his muzzle (very raccoon like) and then pauses long enough to consider the crumbs now at his feet. Licking one finger he gathers them - one, two, smack - three, four, five, smack - then turns to look at the departed Smith and lets go of two happy little lip smacks that end in a satisfied grin held for six frames. The subtle movement of his muzzle combined with the carefully poised hands are perfect pantomime. You could watch this scene over and over and over and never stop smiling and laughing. It’s impossible not to love this bit. Once again, just right. Wow.

Meeko is also a careful blend of animal instinct and human-like behavior. He can not be mistaken for a human in a raccoon suit. His walk and crawl, the staccato of his scamper and casual indifference are grounded in the illusion of watching a real raccoon. Meeko is a great link between the hard facts and the more ephemeral magic that are braided throughout POCAHONTAS. It isn’t simply how the animals mirror the human struggles, it’s also how they help us to establish the “here�? of the here and now and make it believable in the context of an animated drama. Meeko fits perfectly into this bucolic New World, and he brings a sassy modern perspective without feeling jarring. Ranieri and his team of animators never let Meeko simply enter screen left to make a joke and exit screen right so that we can get on with the story. All the animals work in harmony and are connected in subtle ways to the human characters that put them firmly in the same universe. Meeko in particular could easily just be standing off to one side, breaking the fourth wall and commenting on the action like an outsider, but he doesn’t. Due in part to the careful direction of Goldberg and Gabriel, this is a well crafted story tapestry woven with colorful threads of character, none of which clash. But ultimately, it is Ranieri and his crew - Brian Ferguson, Raul Garcia, Dave Kuhn, and Steve Gordon - who go the extra mile to succeed in giving Meeko a convincing and innocent child-like connection to Pocahontas. This in turn gives him a complete journey as a character from beginning to end. Watch Meeko in Just Around the River Bend and you’ll find more than a dozen exchanges that make him a very complicated little fellow. And each scene adds depth to the unique relationship he has with Pocahontas. He has a conscious awareness of her as someone who he loves, who he trusts, who he depends upon and who he even wants to defend. It’s a behavior you see in very young children who see their parents as both protectors and as someone they want to protect in their own way. With Meeko it starts with simple things like the way he scampers up to the princess seated by the river’s edge, grabbing at her mother’s necklace - a curious new treasure that distracts him at first, but then gets forgotten when he hears Pocahontas and seems to understand that she’s feeling something to which he needs to pay attention.

Moments later he can be seen clinging to her, and then seeing she is without fear and that all is safe on the rapid waters, he relaxes to enjoy the ride, even relish it.

My personal favorite is where the waterfall deposits three fish on his soaked little head and he turns to Pocahontas like a petulant four year old facing his mother as if to say “hey…that’s not funny!�? She reaches down and touches his chin. He sees, feels, hears her and his mood is calmed.