 Originally conceived by Richard Williams (I) (qv) as an attempt to  make the greatest animated film of all time, it later became his own  "reason for living." After failing to secure funds from private  investors or a studio to make the film, Williams decided to finance  the film on his own, taking small jobs on television commercials or  Saturday morning cartoons and using the proceeds to hire his own  group of animators. The production moved in fits and starts until  the success of _Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)_ (qv) allowed  Williams to make a deal with Warner Bros. to finance and distribute  the film. As the production continued, however, it became obvious  that Williams would not meet the 1991 release date originally set by  the studio due to numerous delays, not the least of which were the  directors insistence on absolute perfection and hesitation in using  storyboards