On February 4th, celebrated Canadian-American animator Chris Williams returned to his hometown of Kitchener-Waterloo for a showing of his Oscar nominated film The Sea Beast.
Active in the animation industry from 1996 onwards, Williams worked with Disney until 2018. During his time with the company, he worked on the well known Disney classics Mulan, The Emperor’s New Groove and Lilo & Stitch.
Further, he also worked on Big Hero 6 and Bolt – both being Oscar nominated films with Big Hero 6 winning Best Animated Feature in 2015.
Finally, savvy fans will recognize Williams as the voice of “Oaken” in Disney’s 2013 hit film Frozen.
Speaking to a sold-out audience at The Princess Twin, Williams was in attendance as animation fans in the region took in The Sea Beast.
Made by Netflix Studios, The Sea Beast tells the touching story of Maisie Bramble, a young girl who’s love of the history of the fabled “hunters” causes her to stow away on their ship. Discovering that the fabled “sea beasts” are not all that they seem, Maisie unites the hunters and the beasts they hunt.
A charming action-adventure film, The Sea Beast is the perfect film for animation fans of all ages. With gorgeous visuals and compelling characters, the film’s attention to detail is superb. Those interested in watching can catch the film on Netflix before it tries its luck against the other Best Animated Feature nominees of the year.
With Williams at the helm of so many beloved animated classics, Kitchener-Waterloo is lucky to have such talent as a representative of the creative force of the region.
Playing to a sold out audience, it is clear that the Kitchener-Waterloo movie fanatics wish for more of Williams’ films – with a rumoured sequel to The Sea Beast in development, it is clear that all are hopeful that Williams will return to the Princess once more.
Featured image credit: Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-E-IGQCsPo.
