The definitive book on animation, from the Academy Award-winning animator behind Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Animation is one of the hottest areas of filmmakin g today--and the master animator who bridges the old generation and the new is R ichard Williams. During his fifty years in the business, Williams has been one o f the true innovators, winning three Academy Awards and serving as the link betw een Disney's golden age of animation by hand and the new computer animation exem plified by Toy Story . Perhaps even more important, though, has been his dedi cation in passing along his knowledge to a new generation of animators so that t hey in turn could push the medium in new directions. In this book, based on his sold-out master classes in the United States and across Europe, Williams provide s the underlying principles of animation that every animator--from beginner to e xpert, classic animator to computer animation whiz --needs. Urging his readers t o ""invent but be believable,"" he illustrates his points with hundreds of drawing s, distilling the secrets of the masters into a working system in order to creat e a book that will become the standard work on all forms of animation for profes sionals, students, and fans.