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Chris Williams (director)

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For other people named Chris Williams, see Chris Williams (disambiguation).
Chris Williams
Williams in 2022
Born (1968-12-19) December 19, 1968 (age 56)
Missouri, U.S.[1]
Alma materUniversity of Waterloo
Sheridan College
Occupation(s)Animator, film director, screenwriter, voice actor
Years active1996–present
Employer(s)Walt Disney Animation Studios (1998–2018)
Netflix (2018–present)
Notable workGlago's Guest
Bolt
Big Hero 6
Moana
The Sea Beast

Chris Williams (born December 19, 1968) is an American-Canadian animation film director, screenwriter and voice actor who is best known for directing the films Bolt (2008) and Big Hero 6 (2014) and co-directing the film Moana (2016) for Walt Disney Animation Studios, and for directing the film The Sea Beast (2022) for Netflix Animation.

Early life

Williams was born on December 19, 1968, in Missouri and spent the first 25 years of his life in Kitchener, 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 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

Shorts and TV

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

Year Title Role
2012 Paperman Special Thanks
2020 The Willoughbys
2022 Strange World Very Special Thanks
2023 Nimona Special Thanks

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Knelman, Martin (February 25, 2009). "Bolt from blue took Canadian to Oscars". The Star. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  2. ^ "University of Waterloo alumnus wins Oscar for Big Hero 6". Waterloo Stories. University of Waterloo. 23 February 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-02-23. Retrieved 2015-02-23.
  3. ^ Fritz, Ben (February 8, 2007). "'Toy Story' sequel set". Variety. Archived from the original on December 26, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  4. ^ Sciretta, Peter (June 20, 2008). "Bolt Teaser Poster; A Look Back at American Dog". /Film. Archived from the original on December 13, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  5. ^ "King of the Elves being reworked; Disney plans far ahead". Filmonic. August 6, 2010. Archived from the original on January 4, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
  6. ^ Graser, Marc; Sneider, Jeff (June 29, 2011). "Disney revives 'King of the Elves' toon". Variety. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  7. ^ Chitwood, Adam (June 29, 2011). "Disney Sets HORRIBLE BOSSES Scribe to Pen KING OF THE ELVES". Collider. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  8. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (December 31, 2013). "Chris Williams To Co-Direct Disney Animation's 'Big Hero 6' With Don Hall". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  9. ^ Lang, Brent (November 5, 2018). "Netflix Backs 'Jacob and the Sea Beast' From 'Big Hero 6' Director Chris Williams (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
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