Before the end of 2025, I was able to read the Spanish edition of “The Adventures of Richard Williams”, published by Anaya. Anaya’s books have always been invaluable sources of information in our audiovisual industry, especially in the pre-internet era, when it was impossible to find information of any kind. This was reflected in the quality of teaching, which was rather poor in those years, and in the absolute ignorance of those of us who wanted to get started in the complicated world of animation, special effects, or drawing in general.
Reading the book, I had some doubts about the translation, because some paragraphs are not easy to understand. I am not sure if this is because the translation does not fully adapt some technical terms or if Williams’ original was not sufficiently revised.
It should be noted that the book was completed by Williams’ wife, Imogen Sutton. After reading the book, one understands the work of this woman, or rather this “artistic couple,” as a hallmark of what we might call the “dream of animation.” By this I mean that when it comes to motivation and credibility, Richard Williams and his wife are pillars of a better world. A world where the goal is excellence, through hard work and dedication. Something that is not at all common, but rather something extraordinary.
The narrative of the book could not be more interesting. Its biggest flaw is its brevity. It summarizes extraordinary moments in just a few lines. And I have to say that it is full of them.
The most curious thing about this biography is that instead of focusing on himself, it focuses on other artists, from whom Richard learned and drew inspiration to complete the most comprehensive method of traditional animation to date, known throughout the world: The Survival Kit and his master classes, heirs to Disney, but also to other schools such as Warner.
I have seen this aspect in other biographies, such as that of Manara, true geniuses who, instead of talking about their lives, thank other geniuses they admired.
Another aspect of Williams that caught my attention is the simplicity with which a world-class phenomenon dedicates himself to his work with passion, with no other goal than self-improvement. It is clear that Williams was a true artist, and once again it is clear that animators are purebreds within the breed of cartoonists.
It made me very sad to see that the book is a review of the lives of great geniuses who gradually passed away and whose legacy was collected by Williams, who, in turn, has also left us. You could say they died with their boots on.
I was also struck by a certain parallel between the history of animators and that of VFX artists, in terms of generational evolution over several decades.
Thank you, Mr. Williams ❤️.
