The Sea Beast: 10 Disney Movies Director Chris Williams Worked On
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Chris Williams is one of the most prolific filmmakers in animation and his solo directorial debut, The sea beast, recently premiered on Netflix. The film tells the story of a young woman who escapes on the ship of a sea monster hunter and the subsequent adventure the couple has together.
Scoring 95% on the Rotten Tomatoes scale, with an impressive score of 88% (via the Rotten Tomatoes website), it’s not really a big surprise. It’s the kind of big story Williams has been working on for years, having spent most of his career as a major contributor to some of Disney’s most acclaimed animated features.
Mulan (1998)
Williams’ first job at Disney was as a story artist Mulan, the story of a young Chinese girl during the Han Dynasty, who poses as a man to take her father’s place in the army during a Hun invasion. One of Disney’s biggest hits during the Disney Renaissance, the film was a huge success at the box office, earning $304 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo) and receiving critical acclaim for its animation and characters.
It would go on to spawn a direct-to-video sequel and later a live-action adaptation, as well as a McDonald’s menu item that would become Internet legend.
The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
Williams’ first credit with Disney was for his work The emperor’s new groove, receiving a history credit for the endlessly quotable film about a selfish emperor who transforms into a llama during a failed comical assassination attempt. While the film didn’t receive the acclaim of other Disney films, it has often been cited as one of the company’s funniest features (via EW).
It’s great to see the crew’s hard work finally pay off considering the film had a troubled production (via Polygon ). Originally intended to be a comedy musical with a more serious tone, the film underwent a complete overhaul to become a full-fledged comedy midway through production. During this time, Williams helped create the character of Pacha voiced by John Goodman as an older contrast to Kuzco (via Vulture).
Lilo and Stitch (2003)
Lilo and Stitch had recently made waves on social media, with many believing that it should have received wider success and acclaim than frozen received for its depiction of sibling love (some even argue that Lilo and Nani are the best siblings). The film is widely regarded as one of the most beloved Disney films of the 2000s, and its heartfelt story is certainly one of the reasons.
Chris Williams worked as a story artist for both of these films, meaning he helped create two of Disney’s most prolific franchises that have spawned sequels, video games, and theme park attractions.
Chicken Little (2005)
Williams was a story artist chicken, an adaptation of the Henny Penny fable in which a chicken thinks the world is ending and the sky is falling. The film was Disney’s first in-house computer-animated film and grossed over $300 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo), despite receiving less-than-stellar reviews ·lars for what many critics saw as a weak story.
A direct-to-video sequel was planned, titled Chicken Little 2: The story of the ugly ducklingbut the film never materialized due to Disney’s then-new chief creative officer, John Lasseter, halting all sequel production (via rotoscopers.com).
Bolt (2008)
In 2008, Williams received his first feature directing and screenwriting credit, directing the film Bolt with Byron Howard. Howard himself would direct the blockbuster tangled up, Zootopiai charm for Disney.
Another troubled production, Williams and Howard were hired as co-directors to replace Chris Sanders after creative differences (via slashfilm.com), directing the story of a TV star dog who embarks on a journey to return to his master, who is then. they are joined by a sarcastic cat and a hamster who is their superfan. The film was a return to acclaim for Williams, as it received positive reviews for its likable characters as well as its winning mix of heart and comedy storyline.
Frozen (2013)
While Williams worked as a story artist for frozen, also featured prominently in the film’s voice acting. More than just the additional voices he had provided for other films in the past, Williams voiced a named character, Oaken, in a very memorable scene.
Oaken is the extremely polite owner of the shopping place and sauna where Anna and Kristoff meet. Hilariously, the scene concludes with the polite Oaken who turns out to be a tall hulk, violently throwing Kristoff out of the building for calling him a “thief”.
Big Hero 6 (2014)
Williams then stepped into the director’s chair Great hero 6, Disney’s first animated Marvel film, tells the story of a young team of superheroes who form to stop a masked villain. The film was a massive hit, not only receiving high praise for its combination of action and heart, but also grossing over $600 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo) and won Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards.
The film has spawned multiple television series, including the recent one Baymax! Original Disney+ series and follows the incredibly lovable Baymax and the characters he encounters as he helps them.
Moana (2016)
One of Disney’s most acclaimed animated films, Moana saw Williams in a co-director position, as well as once again receiving a story writing credit. The story, which tells the story of the titular teenager, who embarks on a journey across the ocean in search of the demigod, Maui, for his help in restoring Te Fiti’s heart.
It became a cultural phenomenon, with audiences admiring its action-packed and thrilling journey. The film is loved by many and is now considered one of the most rewatchable movie musicals.
Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
Williams has only produced two films in his career. His recent film The sea beast being one of them, and Destroy it ralph sequel Ralph breaks the internet being the other
Disney’s first computer-animated sequel film, the film follows video game characters Ralph and Vanellope as they travel through various Internet websites and the characters they find there, including those belonging to other Disney properties. Disney. Ralph breaks the internet has endured in today’s pop culture thanks to some of the internet memes the film spawned.
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
The most recent Disney film to which Williams lent his work was the 2021 film Raya and the last dragona story about a warrior princess who goes on a quest to find the last remaining dragon that can help save her world from the evil Druun.
The film was Disney’s first animated foray into theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic, simulcasting on Disney+ Premier Access at the same time. The film proved popular, eventually ending up as the third most watched film of 2021 (via Variety), with much praise for the animation and dynamic characters.
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