Richard Williams, animator of Roger Rabbit and Pink Panther, dies at 86

Richard Williams, the Canadian-born animator who created the character Roger Rabbit and worked on the Pink Panther series, died at his home in Bristol, England, on August 16, 2019, at age 86, surrounded by family. His daughter Natasha Sutton Williams announced his death, noting he worked and wrote until his final day despite terminal illness. Williams studied at the Ontario College of Art and began his career at Disney Studios in Burbank. In 1955, he moved to England to join George Dunning T.V. Cartoons Ltd., working on TV commercials. His first major success came in 1958 with the short film "The Little Island," which won a BAFTA for Best Animated Film the following year. The self-funded 33-minute wordless philosophical piece featured surreal characters. In 1962, his short "Love Me, Love Me, Love Me" was a commercial success, allowing him to open his own animation studio. Williams is best known for directing the animation for "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988), which won two Oscars: Best Visual Effects and a Special Achievement Award for Williams. He also created animated title sequences for films including "What's New Pussycat?" (1965), "Casino Royale" (1967), "The Pink Panther Strikes Again" (1975), and "The Pink Panther Meets Inspector Clouseau" (1976). His animated feature "A Christmas Carol" (1971) won an Oscar, and "The Thief and the Cobbler" (1993), after numerous rewrites, was released by Miramax in the US as "Arabian Knight."