Chris Williams(born December 19, 1968) is an American-Canadian animation film director, screenwriter and voice actor who is best known for directing the filmsBolt(2008) andBig Hero 6(2014) and co-directing the filmMoana(2016) forWalt Disney Animation Studios,and for directing the filmThe Sea Beast(2022) forNetflix Animation.
Chris Williams | |
|---|---|
 Williams in 2022 | |
| Born | December 19, 1968 |
| Alma mater | University of Waterloo Sheridan College |
| Occupation(s) | Animator, film director, screenwriter, voice actor |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Employer(s) | Walt Disney Animation Studios(1998–2018) Netflix(2018–present) |
| Notable work | Glago's Guest Bolt Big Hero 6 Moana The Sea Beast |
Early life
editWilliams was born on December 19, 1968, inMissouriand spent the first 25 years of his life inKitchener, Ontario,Canada, where his father was the director of Counselling Services at theUniversity of Waterloo.[1]Williams graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in Fine Arts[2]and then enrolled in the animation program atSheridan College,Oakville, Ontario. Upon graduation from Sheridan, he was recruited by Disney and moved to Los Angeles.[1]
Career
editWilliams previously worked in the story department forMulan(1998),The Emperor's New Groove(2000) andFrozen(2013), in which he also voiced the character Oaken. In February 2007, it was announced he would directAmerican Dog,[3]which was re-titledBolt(2008) and was later joined byByron Howard,both of them replacedChris Sanderswho was the original director.[4]
In July 2010, it was reported by various sources that Williams would directKing of the Elvesbased on the story byPhilip K. Dick.[5][6][7]However, in 2012, it was revealed that Williams had joined another Walt Disney Animation film,Big Hero 6,as a co-director inspired by theMarvel Comicsof thesame name.[8]
In November 2018, it was reported that Williams had left Disney and he would write and directThe Sea BeastforNetflix.[9]The Sea Beastwas released on Netflix on July 8, 2022.
Filmography
editFeature films
edit| Year | Film | Credited as | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | Story Artist |
Other | Voice | Notes | ||
| 1998 | Mulan | No | No | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2000 | The Emperor's New Groove | No | Story | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2002 | Lilo & Stitch | No | No | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2003 | Brother Bear | No | No | No | No | Yes | Additional Story | |
| 2005 | Chicken Little | No | No | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2007 | Meet the Robinsons | No | No | No | Additional | No | ||
| 2008 | Bolt | Yes | Screenplay | No | No | Yes | Additional Voices | Disney Story Trust - uncredited [10] |
| 2009 | The Princess and the Frog | No | No | No | No | No | ||
| 2010 | Tangled | No | No | No | Additional | No | ||
| 2011 | Winnie the Pooh | No | No | No | No | No | ||
| 2012 | Wreck-It Ralph | No | No | No | Additional | No | ||
| 2013 | Frozen | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Oaken | |
| 2014 | Big Hero 6 | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Creative Leadership | |
| 2016 | Zootopia | No | No | No | No | Yes | Additional Story, Creative Leadership | |
| Moana | Co-Director | Story | No | No | Yes | Creative Leadership | ||
| 2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | No | No | Executive | Additional | Yes | ||
| 2019 | Frozen II | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Oaken (uncredited) | |
| 2021 | Raya and the Last Dragon | No | No | No | No | Yes | Additional Story | |
| 2022 | The Sea Beast | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | NetflixOriginal Film | |
Shorts and TV
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer |
Other | Voice | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Glago's Guest | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2009 | Super Rhino | No | No | Yes | No | ||
| Prep & Landing | No | No | Yes | No | TV special | ||
| 2015 | Frozen Fever | No | No | No | Yes | Oaken | |
| 2016 | LEGO Frozen: Northern Lights | No | No | No | Yes | Episode: "Journey to the Lights" | |
| 2017 | Gone Fishing[11] | Co-Director | No | No | No | ||
| Olaf's Frozen Adventure | No | No | No | Yes | Oaken | Featurette | |
| 2020 | Once Upon a Snowman | No | No | No | Yes | Disney+Original Short Film |
Other credits
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Paperman | Special Thanks |
| 2020 | The Willoughbys | |
| 2022 | Strange World | Very Special Thanks |
| 2023 | Nimona | Special Thanks |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abcKnelman, Martin (February 25, 2009)."Bolt from blue took Canadian to Oscars".The Star.Archivedfrom the original on December 25, 2013.RetrievedDecember 24,2013.
- ^"University of Waterloo alumnus wins Oscar for Big Hero 6".Waterloo Stories.University of Waterloo. 23 February 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-02-23.Retrieved2015-02-23.
- ^Fritz, Ben (February 8, 2007)."'Toy Story' sequel set ".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on December 26, 2014.RetrievedDecember 9,2014.
- ^Sciretta, Peter (June 20, 2008)."Bolt Teaser Poster; A Look Back at American Dog"./Film.Archivedfrom the original on December 13, 2014.RetrievedDecember 9,2014.
- ^"King of the Elves being reworked; Disney plans far ahead".Filmonic.August 6, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on January 4, 2012.RetrievedDecember 24,2011.
- ^Graser, Marc; Sneider, Jeff (June 29, 2011)."Disney revives 'King of the Elves' toon".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2013.RetrievedJune 30,2011.
- ^Chitwood, Adam (June 29, 2011)."Disney Sets HORRIBLE BOSSES Scribe to Pen KING OF THE ELVES".Collider.Archivedfrom the original on July 26, 2015.RetrievedDecember 9,2014.
- ^Giardina, Carolyn (December 31, 2013)."Chris Williams To Co-Direct Disney Animation's 'Big Hero 6' With Don Hall".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on January 2, 2014.RetrievedDecember 31,2013.
- ^Lang, Brent (November 5, 2018)."Netflix Backs 'Jacob and the Sea Beast' From 'Big Hero 6' Director Chris Williams (EXCLUSIVE)".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on November 5, 2018.RetrievedApril 10,2019.
- ^Goldman, Eric (February 18, 2016)."How Disney'sStory TrustHelped Change Big Hero 6, Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph and More ".IGN.RetrievedFebruary 2,2021.
- ^Wolfe, Jennifer (January 13, 2017)."'Moana' Sails Home on Digital HD February 21 and Blu-ray March 7 ".Animation World Network.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.