The former president of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios says he has a

"blind mind's eye".

Most people can close their eyes and conjure up images inside their head such as
counting sheep or imagining the face of a loved one.

But Ed Catmull, 74, has the condition aphantasia, in which people cannot visualise
mental images at all.

And in a surprising survey of his former employees, so do some of the world's best
animators.

Ed revolutionised 3D graphics, and the method he developed for animating curved

surfaces became the industry standard.

He first realised his brain was different when trying to perform Tibetan meditation
with a colleague.

Visualisation is a core part of the practice and he was told to picture a sphere in
front of him.

Ed told the BBC: "I went home, closed my eyes� I couldn't see a thing and for an
entire week I kept trying to visualise this sphere."

He spoke to colleagues and learned that some animators could form mental images so
strong they would open their eyes and the image would still be there, so they could
practically trace what they could see.

Ed just thought: "That's interesting, it's probably what makes them an artist."

Glen Keane
But eventually Ed realised he was not alone and that, perhaps counter-intuitively,
some of the greatest talents in animation could not visualise either.

Oscar-winner Glen Keane, who created Ariel (The Little Mermaid), also has no visual
imagery.

Ed told the BBC: "He is truly extraordinary, he's one of the best animators in the
history of hand-drawn animation.

"[And] he said that he could never visualise either."