Don "Ducky" Williams

Don Williams, fondly known as Don “Ducky” Williams, has been a character artist for the Walt Disney Company for more than 30 years, and is especially known for his wonderful renderings of that irascible Donald Duck. Although he paints all the characters, Donald Duck is his favorite, probably because of his temperament.

Drawing Disney characters is more than a job; to Ducky, it’s a way of life. Like many people, he has been infatuated with Disney characters since he was a child. In fact, Ducky wrote his first letter to Walt Disney when he was just 10 years old and has always wanted to be a Disney artist or animator. “The Disney characters are more than characters - they are living, breathing personalities, and I enjoy capturing those personalities in my artwork,” says Williams. “The characters have to come to life on the page, and the only way to do that is to know the characters and their films inside out.”

Although Williams' artwork is reminiscent of traditional animation, he stylized his characters by adding shape and dimension. An observant viewer will notice that Don’s character has dimension, as opposed to the flat color seen in animation. This subtle technique adds a sense of shape, life, and personality to each painting, capturing the mood and spirit of the film as well as the characters. He is well known for painting the Fab Five characters: Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Pluto, as well as the many characters from classic Animated Feature films, such as Snow White, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Bambi, and many more. Don’s work doesn’t stop at characters; he is passionate about meticulously hand-painting the backgrounds of those scenes, bringing those classic Disney moments fully to life.

Don has contributed art and design work for countless projects for The Walt Disney Company, including billboards, signage, brochures, and art designs featured on buses. His work has been featured at Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Disney, and Parks & Resorts. Those who have sailed on the Disney Cruise Line will immediately recognize Ducky, not only from his fascinating presentations on the cruise ships, but also from the special artwork he creates for new cruise itineraries. Ducky is particularly proud of one of his previous projects -- Tony's Town Square, the Lady & the Tramp themed restaurant on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, for which he created all the paintings, china, signage, and more. You will also find his artwork at the main entrance to Walt Disney World.