Alexander Steuart Williams (born 18 October 1967) is an English cartoonist and animator. He is the eldest son of animator Richard Williams. He has worked on many animated films, and is the author of the satirical King's Counsel cartoon strip in The Times, for which he won the Cartoon Art Trust Award for Strip Cartooning in October 2017. Williams is Dean of Animation and Visual Effects at Escape Studios in London.
Early life Williams was born in London in 1967, the son of Canadian animator Richard Williams.Mazurkewitch, p.234 He played the voice of Tiny Tim in his father's 1971 television adaptation of A Christmas Carol.Anderson, Ross, Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat, University Press of Mississippi (2019), p.86 He was educated at Westminster School, Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts, and Merton College, Oxford.
Career In 1987 Williams was 20 years old and in his first year of studies at the University of Oxford when he started work as an in-betweener on Who Framed Roger Rabbit, working under animator Simon Wells and later as an assistant animator to Marc Gordon-Bates. Williams initially worked unpaid as an intern, and was later invited by producer Patsy de Lord to work on the film full-time.Anderson, Ross, Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat, University Press of Mississippi (2019), p.289 The university agreed to his taking a suspension of studies for a year. The following year, in 1988, he joined the Disney-MGM Studio in Orlando, Florida, working on the short film RollerCoaster Rabbit.Anderson, Ross, Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat, University Press of Mississippi (2019), p.145
Cartoons In 1993 Williams and Graham Francis Defries created the comic strip King's Counsel, a satire on law and lawyers, published in the law pages of The Times newspaper, under the pseudonyms Steuart and Francis.Queen's Counsel Official Website Retrieved June 2011Interview at Flip magazine Retrieved June 2011 At the time, Williams and Defries were working as research assistants for Members of Parliament at the House of Commons.The Jester, Issue 463, p.17
A number of collections of the cartoons have been published by Robson Books and HarperCollins.Queen's Counsel at www.amazon.co.uk Retrieved June 2011
Williams also drew Writer's Block, a cartoon strip published in the books section of The Times from 2005–6, and The Dealers, published in The Tatler from 1994–95.The Dealers at www.alex.williams.com Retrieved June 2011 He also illustrated the characters for the Baby Barista blog by fellow ex-barrister Tim Kevan.Baby Barista Blog Retrieved June 2011
Williams is a trustee of the Cartoon Museum in London. Cartoon Museum Official site Retrieved 28 April 2026
Animation
Williams was a barrister at 12 King's Bench Walk Chambers in London before leaving in 1996 to pursue a full-time career in film animation,Interview with Williams at www.leavinglaw.com Retrieved June 2011 joining Warner Bros Feature Animation, where he was lead animator on the villain "Ruber", voiced by Gary Oldman, in Quest for Camelot. Williams gave the character a "nervous twitch", a "wrestler's strut" and "big hands with broken nails that look creepy on close-ups".Mazurkewitch, p.255-6
His work as an animator includes Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), The Princess and the Cobbler (1993), The Lion King (1994), Quest for Camelot (1998), The Iron Giant (1999), The Road to El Dorado (2000), Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002), Piglet's Big Movie, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003), Robots (2005) and Open Season (2006).Williams at IMDB.com Retrieved June 2011
Williams has also worked on visual effects in Racing Stripes (2005), Monster House (2006), Underdog (2007), Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Inkheart (2008), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), Marmaduke (2010) and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
He has contributed designs to Deckchair Dreams, a fundraising event organised by the Royal Parks Foundation in support of the London Royal Parks.Deckchair Dreams Retrieved September 2011 In 2012 he contributed a design for The Big Egg Hunt, a charity fundraiser billed as the world's largest ever Easter egg hunt.The Big Egg Hunt Official Website Retrieved March 2012
Teaching He lives in London and teaches at various academies and studios including Escape Studios, and tutors animation at Bucks New University in High Wycombe as a senior lecturer.Escape Studios website Retrieved June 2011Bucks new Uni Website Retrieved May 2015
Williams has also founded the world's first online based MA in animation at Buckinghamshire New University, beginning in September 2015.Bucks Online MA in Animation Retrieved May 2015Worlds first online MA in Animation Retrieved May 2015
In 2012 he founded an online animation school, Animation Apprentice.Animation Apprentice Official Site Retrieved August 2012 Filmography Year Title Credits 1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit Assistant Animator 1989 Rollercoaster Rabbit Animator 1992 The Thief and the Cobbler Animator 1994 The Lion King Animator 1995 Pocahontas (1995 film) Animator (uncredited) 1998 Quest For Camelot Lead Animator ("Ruber") 1999 The Iron Giant Animator 2000 The Road to El Dorado Animator 2002 Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron Lead Animator 2003 Piglet's Big Movie Animator 2003 Looney Tunes: Back in Action Animator 2003 Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas Animator 2005 Robots (2005 film) Animator 2005 Racing Stripes Animation Supervisor 2006 Open Season (2006 film) Animator 2006 Monster House (film) Animator 2007 Underdog (2007 film) Animation Supervisor (Cinesite) 2008 Beverly Hills Chihuahua Animation Supervisor (Cinesite) 2009 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (film) Animator (Cinesite) 2010 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Animator (MPC) 2010 Marmaduke Animation Supervisor (Cinesite) Published work Queen's Counsel – A Libellous Look at The law, Robson Books, 1995 Queen's Counsel – Judgment Day, Robson Books, 1996 Queen's Counsel – Laying Down the Law, Times Books, 1997 The Times – Best of Queen's Counsel, Times Books, 1999 Lawyers Uncovered – Everything you always wanted to know but didn't want to pay £500 an hour to find out, JR Books, 2007 101 Ways to Leave the Law, JR Books, September 2009Review of 101 Ways to Leave the Law at The Law Society Gazette Retrieved 14 August 2019 101 Uses for a Useless Banker. JR books, September 2009Review of 101 Uses of a Useless Banker at City AM Retrieved June 2011 The Queen's Counsel Official Lawyers' Handbook, Robson Press October 2011The Queen's Counsel Official Lawyers' Handbook at www.amazon.co.uk Retrieved September 2011 The Queen's Counsel Lawyer's Omnibus, Law Brief Publishing, 1 October 2013Law Brief Publishing Retrieved 5 October 2013 For a Few Guineas More - The Legal Year in Cartoons, Law Brief Publishing, 13 December 2019Retrieved 3 December 2019
References Nelker, Gladys P, The Clan Steuart, Genealogical publishing, 1970 Mazurkewitch, Karen, Cartoon Capers, The Adventures of Canadian Animators, MacArthur & Co, Toronto (1999) The Jester Monthly Magazine of The Cartoonists' Club of Great Britain, Issue 463, March 2013 News item at Variety.com Retrieved June 2011 News item at Hollywood Reporter Retrieved June 2011 News item at AWN.com Retrieved June 2011 Interview at the Evening Standard Retrieved July 2017
Notes
External links Williams' Official Website Retrieved June 2011 Queen's Counsel Official Website Retrieved June 2011 Escape Studios animation course Retrieved June 2011 Lawyers Uncovered – a collection of Queen's Counsel cartoons at Amazon.com Retrieved June 2011 Queen's Counsel at The Times Online (subscription only) Retrieved June 2011 Interview with Williams at Skwigly Retrieved June 2011 Interview with Williams at Flip magazine Retrieved June 2011 transcript of lecture by Williams at Imagine Magazine website Retrieved June 2011 Online Animation School Retrieved September 2012