The Animator’s survival kit
by Richard Williams.

The Animator’s survival kit is a book written by Richard Williams.
Richard Williams is for the most part responsible for the revitalization of animation in the 1970s. He was a director of many animated films including ‘Who framed Roger Rabbit’
Williams had the Disney animator Art Babbitt working in his studio, alongside Warner brothers’ Ken Harris. This meant he was able to use theory from both of these cartoon studio heavyweights. He also helped in the training of the subsequent generation of animators in London. The importance of this is that at the time animation was not taught anywhere, as it was not considered an art form. In this respect Richard Williams was the first Animation Teacher.

In the prolog Williams explains that he, even after winning an Academy Award and having a professional studio still had to re learn lots of animation techniques from Harris and Babbitt. The book is essentially a publication of this knowledge.

The book puts a lot of emphasis on the fact that animation is an art form, and that good animation has nothing to do with the medium it is portrayed in. there is a heavy focus on the way characters move, rather then the quality in which they are drawn.
The main bulk of the book is walk cycles each with there own emphasis on different movements, some imply difference in weight, essential for an animator, others gives difference in speeds. There are also suggestions for timings to be applied for different types of motions
I see this book as one of the best for Technical theory in animation. it explains itself well, and has a large variety of actions. It has really helped me build confidence in my abilities, I can now animate better and quicker then I could previously. I don’t believe there is a substitute for actually doing animation, but Richard Williams’ animator’s survival kit is the next best thing