The legacy of Richard Williams
If you are not inside the animation industry, it is likely that you have never heard of Richard Williams. But certainly you have heard of Roger Rabbit, the Pink Panther, Casino Royale, Scrooge and Raggedy Ann. Without knowing, you already knew Richard Williams.
He was one of the greatest names of animation history, and died on August 16th, at 86 years of age, in Bristol, England. On that day, animators of the most diverse techniques must have stopped animating for a moment. It felt like a very close relative had passed away.
Ask any animation student and they will tell you that the first person ever mentioned in class was Williams. He spent 74 of his 86 years of life in front of the animation desk, and became a master in the craftsmanship of 2D traditional animation. In this technique, you create movement with nothing but a pencil, a sharp look and several sheets of paper.
Despite that, he was an enthusiast for all techniques of animation and encouraged professionals and amateurs to animate in all possible platforms. His discoveries and creations were gathered in the book “The Animator’s Survival Kit”, one of the main references for animation studies.
“He only ever wanted to improve his work, and wanted others to push forward as well”, said his daughter Natasha Sutton Williams, in an article for the film review website Little White Lies, on August 23th 2019, a week after his death.
In this tribute by LabJor FAAP, we’ll bring not only details of the life and work of Richard Williams, but also a sense of the importance and influence of his work. We begin with his biography, in A Life Dedicated to the Art of Animation.
In the articles Who Framed Roger Rabbit — Bumping the Lamp and The Thief and the Cobbler — Magnus Opus I remember the impact that the feature films Who Framed Roger Rabbit — one of Williams’ most acclaimed pieces — and The Thief and the Cobbler — an extremely peculiar film that took more than 30 years to be made — had on me, and how they influenced me to study Animation.
In Prologue — A Great Ending, Natália Grego talks about the impressive technical tools used by Williams to present an odd narrative in the short-film Prologue, the animator’s last film.
In the piece The Animator’s Survival Kit — Answer-Letter, Rafa Milani — who also illustrated the cover of this tribute — explains why The Animator’s Survival Kit, published in 2001 by Faber and Faber, is considered the Bible of animators. This book has already been translated to nine different languages, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
At last, in GALLERY: How Richard Williams was part of my life, we gathered quotes from various members of the Brazilian and international animation industries, including legends such as John Musker, Rosana Urbes, Michael Dudok de Wit, Marão and Bill Plympton. Students, teachers and professionals of the area talk about the relevance and importance that Richard Williams had in their studies.
If you are familiar with his work or not, keep on reading and dive in this universe filled with animation. The legacy of Richard Williams is to be remembered for all future generations.
Quoting the toons’ song in Who Framed Roger Rabbit:
“Smile, darn ya, smile! You know this old world is a great world after all!”
André Barroso, 21, is a former Animation student from FAAP.
To access the original article in Portuguese, click here.
