# Chris Williams (director)

Chris Williams (born December 19, 1968) is an American-Canadian animation film director, screenwriter and voice actor who is best known for directing the films Bolt (2008) and Big Hero 6 (2014) and co-directing the film Moana (2016) for Walt Disney Animation Studios, and for directing the film The Sea Beast (2022) for Netflix Animation.

## Early life

Williams was born on December 19, 1968, in Missouri and spent the first 25 years of his life in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, where his father was the director of Counselling Services at the University of Waterloo. Williams graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in Fine Arts and then enrolled in the animation program at Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario. Upon graduation from Sheridan, he was recruited by Disney and moved to Los Angeles.

## Career

Williams previously worked in the story department for Mulan (1998), The Emperor's New Groove (2000) and Frozen (2013), in which he also voiced the character Oaken. In February 2007, it was announced he would direct American Dog, which was re-titled Bolt (2008) and was later joined by Byron Howard, both of them replaced Chris Sanders who was the original director.
In July 2010, it was reported by various sources that Williams would direct King of the Elves based on the story by Philip K. Dick. However, in 2012, it was revealed that Williams had joined another Walt Disney Animation film, Big Hero 6, as a co-director inspired by the Marvel Comics of the same name.
In November 2018, it was reported that Williams had left Disney and he would write and direct The Sea Beast for Netflix. The Sea Beast was released on Netflix on July 8, 2022.

## Filmography
### Feature films

| Year | Film | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as |
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Producer | Story Artist | Other | Voice | Notes |
| 1998 | Mulan | No | No | No | Yes | No | | |
| 2000 | The Emperor's New Groove | No | Story | No | Yes | No | | |
| 2002 | Lilo & Stitch | No | No | No | Yes | No | | |
| 2003 | Brother Bear | No | No | No | No | Yes | | Additional Story |
| 2005 | Chicken Little | No | No | No | Yes | No | | |
| 2007 | Meet the Robinsons | No | No | No | Additional | No | | |
| 2008 | Bolt | Yes | Screenplay | No | No | Yes | Additional Voices | Disney Story Trust - uncredited |
| 2009 | The Princess and the Frog | No | No | No | No | No | | Disney Story Trust - uncredited |
| 2010 | Tangled | No | No | No | Additional | No | | Disney Story Trust - uncredited |
| 2011 | Winnie the Pooh | No | No | No | No | No | | Disney Story Trust - uncredited |
| 2012 | Wreck-It Ralph | No | No | No | Additional | No | | Disney Story Trust - uncredited |
| 2013 | Frozen | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Oaken | Disney Story Trust - uncredited |
| 2014 | Big Hero 6 | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | | Creative Leadership |
| 2016 | Zootopia | No | No | No | No | Yes | | Additional Story, Creative Leadership |
| 2016 | Moana | Co-Director | Story | No | No | Yes | | Creative Leadership |
| 2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | No | No | Executive | Additional | Yes | | Creative Leadership |
| 2019 | Frozen II | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Oaken (uncredited) | |
| 2021 | Raya and the Last Dragon | No | No | No | No | Yes | | Additional Story |
| 2022 | The Sea Beast | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | | Netflix Original Film |

#### Shorts and TV

| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer | Other | Voice | Notes |
| 2008 | Glago's Guest | Yes | Yes | No | No | | |
| 2009 | Super Rhino | No | No | Yes | No | | |
| 2009 | Prep & Landing | No | No | Yes | No | | TV special |
| 2015 | Frozen Fever | No | No | No | Yes | Oaken | |
| 2016 | LEGO Frozen: Northern Lights | No | No | No | Yes | Oaken | Episode: "Journey to the Lights" |
| 2017 | Gone Fishing | Co-Director | No | No | No | | |
| 2017 | Olaf's Frozen Adventure | No | No | No | Yes | Oaken | Featurette |
| 2020 | Once Upon a Snowman | No | No | No | Yes | Oaken | Disney+ Original Short Film |

#### Other credits

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2012 | Paperman | Special Thanks |
| 2020 | The Willoughbys | Special Thanks |
| 2022 | Strange World | Very Special Thanks |
| 2023 | Nimona | Special Thanks |
| 2024 | Moana 2 | Special Thanks - Gratitude (as “Chris”) |