17th August 2019
Roger Rabbit animator Richard Williams dies at 86 (bbc.co.uk).
Passing on at his home in Bristol in the South West of England having suffered from cancer, in what his daughter has said had been quite a swift illness.
Williams, who was born in Toronto but moved to the UK in the 1950s, won two Oscars and a Bafta for his work as animation director on the 1988 film, which starred Bob Hoskins.
A film adapted from the mystery novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit? introducing many to a 1949 Hollywood where humans and cartoon characters co-exist and animation’s renowned sex symbol, Los Angeles supper club singer Jessica Rabbit and her sultry quote: “I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way.”
Starting his career at Disney when he was 15 he was advised to learn how to draw properly, and in his own words: “I lost all interest in animation until I was 23.” But was then drawn back to animation because “my paintings were trying to move”.
During his lengthy career, Williams also wrote a how-to book called The Animator’s Survival Kit [based on his sold-out Animation Masterclass in the United States and across Europe] and was animating and writing until he died.
#RIPRichardWilliams (Instagram).
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