Richard Williams

 Williams is a Canadian British animator, most famous for his work on the (1988) film Who Framed Rodger Rabbit and Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976). He’s had over 50 years in the animation industry, with his first being a short called The Wardrobe (1958) and his most recent project being a 16 DVD set and book called The Animator’s Survival Kit (2008). 

William’s foot in the animator industry is very important, as he bridges the gap between the Golden age of animation, with hand drawn animation such as Disneys Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and even Who Framed Rodger Rabbit (1988) and the current computer animation that plays into nearly all anime films used today. Who Framed Rodger Rabbit especially is an impotent achievement, as it not only gave William’s two out of his three Oscars, but is also widely credited for some to of have reinvigorated an art form that has fallen out of fashion, with the films hand drawn animation characters playing side by side with real acting being something that has never been seen to that length before on the big screen thanks to Rotographing. The films high rating at the time of its release can also be credited for starting the Disney Renaissance era, as the studio was able to have the confidence to release The Little Mermaid (1989) after sitting on the companies shelf since the 30’s because Who Framed Rodger Rabbit invigorated the publics interest in animation again. This link then served William’s to produce a smaller budget film with the company, along with director Steven Spielberg The Thief and the Cobbler (1993) a film unfortunately that was never finished by William’s.

His most recent work, The Animators Survival Kit can be deemed as his most ambitious. Featuring over 400 animated examples and tutorials on how to animate for the next generation in a book and then reconfigured into a 16 DVD set and then finally an app. The book doesn’t only cover 2D animation, but also 3D and stop motion, another reason why its so successful as Williams was able to reach out to different mediums and not just 2D animation. The book itself extends from bouncing ball to complex moving animations and walking cycles, and works as both a beginners guide and a complex teaching tool or advanced animators.