The Animator*s Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion and Internet Animators

Animation is one of the hottest areas of filmmaking today―and the master animator who bridges the old generation and the new is Richard Williams. During his nearly fifty years in the business, Williams has been one of the true innovators, winning three Academy Awards and serving as the link between Disney's golden age of animation by hand and the new computer animation exemplified by the films from Pixar.

Perhaps even more important, though, has been his dedication in passing along his knowledge to a new generation of animators. In this book, based on his sold-out master classes in the United States and across Europe, Williams provides the underlying principles of animation that every animator―from beginner to expert, classic animator to computer-animation whiz―needs. He illustrates his points with hundreds of drawings, distilling the secrets of the masters into a working system. In this revised edition, he expands upon and illuminates more difficult areas of animation, such as animal action and gaits and the correct use of live action, to help animators push the medium in new directions.

Richard Williams is best known as the Director of Animation and designer of the new characters for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, for which he won two Academy Awards including a Special Achievement Award. Canadian-born Williams has won three U.S. Academy Awards, three British Academy Awards, and an Emmy, among 246 international awards. In 1990 he was voted by his peers as "The Animator's Animator," and in 1995 he started giving the Richard Williams Animation Masterclasses for professionals and students worldwide. He lives with his family in Wales and works as an independent film-maker.