Chris Williams (director)
Chris Williams (born December 19, 1968) is an American animator, film director, screenwriter and voice actor who directed the short film Glago's Guest; co-directed Bolt, which was nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature; Big Hero 6, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature; Moana, which was nominated for two Oscars for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song; and The Sea Beast.
Chris Williams | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Early life
Williams was born on December 19, 1968, in Missouri and spent the first 25 years of his life in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, where his father was the director of Counselling Services at the University of Waterloo.[1] Williams graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in Fine Arts[2] and then enrolled in the animation program at Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario. Upon graduation from Sheridan, he was recruited by Disney and moved to Los Angeles.[1]
Career
Williams previously worked in the story department for Mulan (1998), The Emperor's New Groove (2000) and Frozen (2013), in which he also voiced the character Oaken. In February 2007, it was announced he would direct American Dog,[3] which was re-titled Bolt (2008) and was later joined by Byron Howard, both of them replaced Chris Sanders who was the original director.[4]
In July 2010, it was reported by various sources that Williams would direct King of the Elves based on the story by Philip 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 the Marvel Comics of the same name.[8]
In November 2018, it was reported that Williams had left Disney and he would write and direct The Sea Beast for Netflix.[9] The Sea Beast was released on Netflix on July 8, 2022.
Filmography
Feature films
| Year | Film | Credited as | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | Story Artist | Other | Voice Role | 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 | Netflix Original Film | |
Short films, TV specials, and featurettes
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer | Other | Voice Role | 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[12] | No | No | No | Yes | Disney+ Original Short Film |
See also
References
- ^ a b c Knelman, Martin (February 25, 2009). "Bolt from blue took Canadian to Oscars". The Star. from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
- ^ "University of Waterloo alumnus wins Oscar for Big Hero 6". Waterloo Stories. University of Waterloo. from the original on 2015-02-23. Retrieved 2015-02-23.
- ^ Fritz, Ben (February 8, 2007). "'Toy Story' sequel set". Variety. from the original on December 26, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
- ^ Sciretta, Peter (June 20, 2008). "Bolt Teaser Poster; A Look Back at American Dog". /Film. from the original on December 13, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
- ^ "King of the Elves being reworked; Disney plans far ahead". Filmonic. August 6, 2010. from the original on January 4, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
- ^ Graser, Marc; Sneider, Jeff (June 29, 2011). "Disney revives 'King of the Elves' toon". Variety. from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
- ^ Chitwood, Adam (June 29, 2011). "Disney Sets HORRIBLE BOSSES Scribe to Pen KING OF THE ELVES". Collider. from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
- ^ Giardina, Carolyn (December 31, 2013). "Chris Williams To Co-Direct Disney Animation's 'Big Hero 6' With Don Hall". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
- ^ Lang, Brent (November 5, 2018). "Netflix Backs 'Jacob and the Sea Beast' From 'Big Hero 6' Director Chris Williams (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (February 18, 2016). "How Disney's Story Trust Helped Change Big Hero 6, Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph and More". IGN. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
- ^ Wolfe, Jennifer (January 13, 2017). "'Moana' Sails Home on Digital HD February 21 and Blu-ray March 7". Animation World Network. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Petski, Denise (September 9, 2020). "'Frozen' To Explore Origins Of Olaf In Disney+ Animated Short". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
External links
- Chris Williams at IMDb