Discover more about this new book by animation legend Richard Williams.
Richard Williams is well known as the author of the classic animation guidebook The Animator’s Survival Kit.
Sadly, Richard Williams died in August of 2019, aged 86, so I was surprised to learn that, 5 years on, a new book by Williams was to be published.
This was made possible since, whilst started by Richard Williams, the book was ultimately completed by his wife, Imogen Sutton, following his death.
Adventures in Animation is not another guidebook, and is best described as a memoir.
It builds upon many of the anecdotes which were scattered throughout The Animator’s Survival Kit to paint a fuller picture of Richard Williams’ life and career.
Starting with his early life, the first third of the book covers Richard Williams’ discovery of animation and his artistic development through to the release of The Little Island, his first short film.
In the second third of the book, the focus switches and we discover more about the various mentors that Richard Williams learnt from, and who influenced his work, alongside a discussion of some of his major projects.
During the final part of the book, Imogen Sutton takes over the narrative. We learn about the creation of the Animator’s Survival Kit, and the masterclasses it was based upon, before exploring Richard Williams’ final projects.
If you’re interested to learn more about the book, I’ve created a YouTube video which provides a more detailed summary, alongside some of my thoughts.
Ultimately, I found Adventures in Animation to be a fascinating read which helped to round out my knowledge of this remarkable man.
If you'd like to purchase the book, you can support Into Animation (at no cost to yourself) by using the Amazon link below:
Adventures in Animation: https://amzn.to/3Ya7wvd
