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First Exposure to Animation

Typically, as Japanese Nisei families in San Francisco, we would dress up on Sundays, even though we were going three, four blocks, you just naturally dressed up. And we would go to our favorite chop suey restaurant on Post Street and have China meshi. Chinese, Cantonese, Japanese style. American-Japanese style chop suey. Then we would go to our neighborhood theater, which was walking distance.

Well, I remember that experience, siting in this theater, and here’s this great big screen in front of me. And in living color, seven little men marched across the screen singing, “Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work we go.” And I thought, “That’s what I want to be!” Not one of the seven little dwarves, but a cartoonist. To draw these things. So, five years old, it hit me. That’s it. That’s what I want to be. So I pursued it, completely pursued it. I collected comic books and little big books [sic: Big Little Book series] that were popular back then.

My dad was also a gadget freak. So we had our own 8mm projector and camera. He would take movies of us. On Saturday nights, he would set up the screen and the projector, and run the latest footage that he took of us. And then he would top it off with an old black and white Mickey Mouse cartoon. It was all black and white, no sounds. I grew up watching animated cartoons, so seeing Snow White, in that fashion, really made an impact.


communities occupations (employment)

Date: August 26, 2015

Location: California, US

Interviewer: John Esaki

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Willie Ito was born July 17, 1934 in San Francisco, California to nisei parents. Seeing Snow White and the Seven Dwarves at the age of five inspired a lifelong love of animation. After his family's incarceration in Topaz, Utah during World War II, Willie returned to California to pursue an art career, attending the Walt Disney favorite Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles (which later became CalArts). Under the mentorship of legendary animator Iwao Takamoto, Willie's passion blossomed into a long career in the animation world through golden ages at Disney, Warner Brothers, and Hanna-Barbera. His credits span from The Lady and the Tramp and What's Opera Doc? to The Flinstones and the Yogi Bear Show. 

Willie continues drawing to this day, including illustration work on multiple children's books about the Japanese American World War II experience. You can also find him signing sketches and greeting fans at San Diego Comic-con. (September 2016)

George Ariyoshi
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George Ariyoshi

Ethnic diversity

(b.1926) Democratic politician and three-term Governor of Hawai'i

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James Hirabayashi
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James Hirabayashi

Christian gatherings in homes

(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline

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James Hirabayashi
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James Hirabayashi

Not bringing shame to family

(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline

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James Hirabayashi
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James Hirabayashi

Role of the Japanese American National Museum

(1926 - 2012) Scholar and professor of anthropology. Leader in the establishment of ethnic studies as an academic discipline

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Peggie Nishimura Bain
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Peggie Nishimura Bain

Learning American cooking

(b.1909) Nisei from Washington. Incarcerated at Tule Lake and Minidoka during WWII. Resettled in Chicago after WWII

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Roger Shimomura
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Roger Shimomura

Japanese American community life

(b. 1939) Japanese American painter, printmaker & professor

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Kimi Wakabayashi
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Kimi Wakabayashi

Her early life in Canada

(b.1912) Japanese Canadian Issei. Immigrated with husband to Canada in 1931

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George Azumano
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George Azumano

Downtown in Portland, Oregon

(b. 1918) Founder Azumano Travel

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Kip Fulbeck
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Kip Fulbeck

Lessons learned from The Hapa Project

(b. 1965) filmmaker and artist

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Alfredo Kato
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Alfredo Kato

Peru Shimpo for the Nikkei community (Spanish)

(b. 1937) Professional journalist

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Bill Hashizume
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Bill Hashizume

Japanese community in Mission

(b. 1922) Canadian Nisei who was unable to return to Canada from Japan until 1952

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PJ Hirabayashi
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PJ Hirabayashi

Taiko as self-expression

Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko

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PJ Hirabayashi
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PJ Hirabayashi

A “principally-based” taiko group in England creating a global taiko community

Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko

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Byron Glaser
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Byron Glaser

Growing up in a Japanese American community

Illustrator and designer

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Francis Y. Sogi
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Francis Y. Sogi

The Kona Island community

(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation

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