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Roy Williams

Writer · Died November 7, 1976, aged 69 · Colville, Washington, USA

From D23: In 1930, Roy Williams started his career at The Walt Disney Studios as an artist. He later became a storyman, until, after the advent of television, Walt Disney personally cast the “300 pounds of walking pixie” in a new role. As Roy later recalled, “Walt was in my office when suddenly, he looked up at me and said, ‘Say, you’re fat and funny looking. I’m going to put you on the Mickey Mouse Cluband call you the Big Mooseketeer!’” Roy, with his impish grin, became an instant favorite with children around the world. Born on July 30, 1907, in Colville, Washington, Roy grew up in Los Angeles. While attending Fremont High School, he learned to make people laugh with the outrageous cartoons he sketched. After high school he was offered a sports scholarship to the University of Southern California, but instead applied for a job at the up-and-coming Walt Disney Studios—and was personally hired by Walt. During those early years, Roy worked on nearly all of the animated shorts produced by the Studio; at the same time, he attended evening classes at Chouinard Art Institute. He moved to the story department after presenting a Donald Duck gag to Walt. In the gag, Donald swallowed a magnet and attracted every metal object imaginable. Walt was so impressed with Roy’s unbridled imagination that he tripled his salary. Roy E. Disney, former vice chairman of The Walt Disney Company, once recalled, “Roy was amazing. You’d ask him for gags for a situation and he’d give you literally hundreds of them.” As a story man, Roy contributed to such animated films as Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, and Make Mine Music, while, as an artist, he contributed to the Silly Symphonies The Night Before Christmas, The China Shop, and many others. During World War II, he designed more than 100 insignias for the armed forces, including the award-winning Flying Tigers insignia. Roy is best known, however, for the four seasons he played “Big Roy” on the Mickey Mouse Club. He is also credited with designing the trademark ears worn by the show’s cast. His fun-loving nature and immense talent made him a perfect publicity representative for the company. On numerous occasions, Roy traveled across the country to promote the re-release of such films as Cinderella; in 1959, he served as goodwill ambassador for The Walt Disney Studios. Later, he worked as a Disney comic strip artist, cartoonist at Disneyland, and consultant on the traveling arena show “Disney on Parade.” Roy Williams passed away on November 7, 1976, in Burbank, California.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 30, 1907
Died
November 7, 1976 (aged 69)
From
Colville, Washington, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
11 on MovieCove · 48 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 15% in 30 days

What are Roy Williams' films like?

Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
28%
Self
25%
Society
20%
Survival
17%
Ideas
9%
Community4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 10 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 5

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 7 · Charged 2 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 2

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 5

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 3

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
6
Thrilling
4
Warm
2
Absurd
1
Romantic
2
Other
7

How their films linger

Feel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet1
  • Ambiguous1
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Roy Williams' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Roy Williams' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

48 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Fast Girls(2012)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • A Cowboy Needs a Horse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Story

  • Jack and Old Mac (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Story

  • Walt Disney's Where Do the Stories Come From? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Writer

  • Music Land (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Writer

  • The Flying Squirrel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Story

  • Dragon Around(1954)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Spare the Rod (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Story

  • Working for Peanuts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Story

  • One Cab's Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Writer

  • Car of Tomorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Story

  • Trailer Horn(1950)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Crazy Over Daisy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Story

  • Pluto's Heart Throb (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Story

  • Donald's Dream Voice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Story

  • Donald's Dilemma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Story

  • Sleepy Time Donald (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Story

  • Wet Paint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Story

  • A Feather in His Collar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Writer

  • Make Mine Music(1946)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Donald's Double Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Story

  • Cured Duck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Story

  • The Three Caballeros(1944)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Donald Duck and the Gorilla (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Story

  • Lake Titicaca (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Story

  • Saludos Amigos(1942)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Bambi(1942)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip(1940)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Clock Cleaners(1937)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Donald and Pluto (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Story

  • Elmer Elephant(1936)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Broken Toys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Assistant Director

  • Cock o' the Walk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Assistant Director

  • Water Babies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Animation

  • The Band Concert(1935)

    Animation

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Two-Gun Mickey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Animation

  • Mickey Plays Papa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Animation

  • The Hot Choc-late Soldiers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Animation

  • Shanghaied (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Animation

  • The China Shop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Animation

  • The Night Before Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Animation

  • Lullaby Land (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Animation

  • Old King Cole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Animation

  • Mickey's Mechanical Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Animation

  • The Mail Pilot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Animation

  • Father Noah's Ark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Animation

  • Mickey's Mellerdrammer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Animation

  • The Klondike Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Animation

Career shape

A full career of 47 titles from 1932 to 2012.

Biggest box office

Bambi (1942)

$267M worldwide

Highest rated

Bambi (1942)

Midcredits 89th

Most popular right now

Saludos Amigos (1942)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing30 of 47: 30 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score70thOther crew17 of 47: 17 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1930s20 · crew1940s13 · crew1950s13 · crew2010s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Roy Williams' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 72nd percentile, the median of all 11; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th2

Shape of the crowd

None of their 11 titles divides audiences: 8 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed1

Most loved · writer

Bambi (1942)

Midcredits 89th · 76% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 47/100 and the plot and story 41/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Roy Williams' work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 21 · mildMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Roy Williams work with?

People who share at least 2 of Roy Williams' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Walt Disney shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers