Richard Williams (born on March 19, 1933 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian animator, animation director, film director, and film producer. He is most well-known for serving as animation director on Who Framed Roger Rabbit? as well as for his unfinished feature film The Thief and the Cobbler. He was also a film title sequence designer and animator; his most famous works in this field included the title sequences to What's New, Pussycat? (1965), title and linking sequences in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968). He also animated the eponymous cartoon feline for two of the later Pink Panther films. Richard Williams can refer to: Richard Williams, Canadian animator Richard Williams, Australian aviator Richard Williams, British sport and music journalist, former television presenter Richard Williams, American jazz trumpet player Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena Williams Richie Williams, American soccer player Richard Norris Williams, American tennis player Richard Williams... is the 78th day of the year (79th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman - Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 106 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area [1] Ranked... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... An animation director is the director in charge of all aspects of the animation process during the production of an animated film or animated segment for a live-action film. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a movie that combines animation and live action, and is a unique chance to see many cartoons from different studios in a single film. ... The official logo that was used on posters of the film until Richard Williams departure Arabian Knight redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Whats New, Pussycat? is a 1965 film. ... The Charge of the Light Brigade is the name of several movies that cover the disastrous attack known as the Charge of the Light Brigade that occurred during the Crimean War. ... The Pink Panther cartoon character. ...

Career

He began his animation work at United Productions of America in the 1940s, where he apprenticed under notable artists from animation's Golden Age such as Chuck Jones, Ken Harris, Milt Kahl and Art Babbitt. He emigrated to Spain and then to England in 1955. In 1958 he produced the work that boosted his career, the BAFTA nominated The Little Island. After his noted work in the mid-1960s he went on to direct the Academy Award-winning A Christmas Carol (1971), the full-length feature Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977) and the Emmy-winning telefilm Ziggy's Gift (1982). He also served as director of animation and on Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) won two more Oscars for his work. He has written an acclaimed animation how-to book, "The Animator's Survival Kit", published in 2000. United Productions of America, better known as UPA, was an animation studio of the 1940s through 1970s, and a distributor of Japanese films from Toho Studios from the 1970s onward. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The 1930s and 1940s During the Great Depression of the 1930s in America, the popularity of the cinema led to a corresponding rise in popularity of animated shorts. ... Chuck Jones in 1976 Charles Martin Chuck Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. ... Ken Harris (1898-1982) was an American animator who worked for several film studios. ... Milton Erwin Kahl (born March 22, 1909, in San Francisco, California, USA; died April 19, 1987, in Mill Valley, California, USA, of pneumonia) was an animator for the Disney studio. ... Arthur Art Babbitt (October 8, 1907 - March 4, 1992) was a Disney animator. ... BAFTA Award The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organisation that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... The Little Island (1958) was Richard Williams first animated film. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... A Christmas Carol (1971) is an animated cartoon adaptation of Charles Dickens venerable novella. ... An Emmy Award. ... A television movie (also TV movie, TV-movie, made-for-TV movie, etc. ... Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American film produced by Amblin Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company (released on its Touchstone Pictures banner), which blends traditional animation and live action. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

The Thief and the Cobbler

Main article: The Thief and the Cobbler

Richard Williams' magnum opus, a painstakingly hand-animated epic inspired by the Arabian Nights and with the production title The Thief and the Cobbler, was begun in 1968 and was initially self-funded. As a largely non-verbal feature meant for an adult audience, The Thief was initially dismissed as unmarketable. After over twenty years of work, Williams had completed only twenty minutes of the film, and following the critical success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Williams sought and secured a production deal with Warner Bros. in 1990. However, the production went over deadline, and in 1992, with only 15 minutes left to complete, The Completion Bond Company, who had insured Warners' financing of the film, feared competition from the similarly themed Disney film Aladdin and seized the project from Williams in Camden, London. Completion Bond then had the animation completed in Korea under the direction of animator Fred Calvert. Calvert's product was released internationally in 1994 as The Princess and the Cobbler. Miramax then acquired rights to the project and extensively rewrote and reanimated the film to include continuous dialogue and to add several musical interludes. Miramax's product was released in 1995 under the title Arabian Knight. In 2006, a fan of William's work named Garrett Gilchrist released a bootleg DVD with a restored version of the movie he made himself, mixing the original audio track, finished scenes, low quality images, pencil tests, and even pieces of the storyboard. The official logo that was used on posters of the film until Richard Williams departure Arabian Knight redirects here. ... Magnum opus (sometimes Opus magnum, plural magna opera), from the Latin meaning great work,[1] refers to the best, most popular, or most renowned achievement of an author, artist, or composer, and most commonly one who has contributed a very large amount of material. ... Queen Scheherazade tells her stories to King Shahryar. ... The official logo that was used on posters of the film until Richard Williams departure Arabian Knight redirects here. ... “WB” redirects here. ... This article is about the Disney film. ... Miramax is a Big Ten film distribution and production company. ...

Personal life

Williams was one of a number of successful people in the entertainment industry to have come from Northern Secondary School in Toronto. Currently, Williams lives in Wales with his fourth wife and two children. Williams also has four children from two of his three previous marriages, including animator Alexander Williams and painter Holly Williams-Brock. Northern Secondary School is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... This article is about the country. ... This page may meet Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ...

It's been said in one of the "The Thief and the Cobbler: Recobbled Cut" DVD features that Richard Williams is working on a top-secret animated film that has yet to be known to the public.

External links

• Richard Williams at the Internet Movie Database
• Who is Richard Williams?
• Richard Williams at the BFI's Screenonline
• How to Survive-and Thrive-in Animation - A review of Richard's acclaimed book, "The Animator's Survival Kit", from Culturedose.net
• Eddie Bowers' The Thief and the Cobbler Page - a website about Richard Williams' "The Thief and the Cobbler" with articles, clips from the workprint, pictures, and the history of the film.
• Orange Cow Productions - The official homepage of Orange Cow Productions, who were responsible for the 'Recobbled' restoration of "The Thief and the Cobbler".