Discover Nikkei Logo

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1816/

Moving to Hanna-Barbera after 15 Years at Disney

In the meantime, the same reason that caused Walt Disney to give up his shorts program. Also the same thing was happening at the studio MGM, where they closed up shop on their shorts program. They fired a couple of guys named Bill Hanna and Joseph Barbera who were doing Tom and Jerry. So they went out and started Hanna-Barbera Studios.

Arount that time, coincidentally we were on the last stages of something like 101 Dalmatians, and we getting into The Sword and The Stone. By this time I took a look around and here Walt is saying he wants to produce one feature film every other year, and I’m looking at the men around me at the peak of their careers, this tremendously talented group of people that had practically developed the art of cell animation to the level of Disney features, they were about as good as you can go. The whole studio was just bulging with people like this. What did I do? Where do I go? In the meantime, all these people that used to work on shorts at Disney Studios had joined Bill Hanna’s animation group at Hanna-Barbera, and they kept calling and saying we need people like you, come on over. That’s when I made the switch and moved over to Hanna-Barbera.

I’d get called in and lectured about things like, “you’re part of the major leagues and hope you realize you’re stepping down into the minors.” I thought okay, that’s the way things are. After they had gotten through laying off this group of animators that worked on the short subjects, I guess it bugged them that somebody would resign and quit on them instead of being laid off. They got a little bit tough about things. Here’s a guy that’s practically illiterate in the art of letter writing. They made me write a formal letter of resignation. I fooled them though- I made friends with the secretary. She did it for me.


animation Hanna-Barbera

Date: August 6, 1998

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Janice Tanaka

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

Interviewee Bio
Iwao Takamoto (April 29, 1925 – January 8, 2007) was a legendary animator for Walt Disney and Hanna Barbera, most famously designing Scooby Doo in the late sixties. Incarcerated at Manzanar after graduating high school, Iwao leveraged his art skills into a job at Disney upon returning to Los Angeles, working on classic animated films like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. He would go on to mentor other Japanese American animators such as Willie Ito, who worked with him on Lady and the Tramp. After leaving Disney for Hanna-Barbera in 1962, Iwao continued animating, as well as producing and directing films like Charlotte's Web (1973) until his retirement. (June 2021)
Willie Ito
en
ja
es
pt
Willie Ito

Disney Drawing Tests

(b. 1934) Award-winning Disney animation artist who was incarcerated at Topaz during WWII

en
ja
es
pt
Willie Ito
en
ja
es
pt
Willie Ito

His mentor, Iwao Takamoto

(b. 1934) Award-winning Disney animation artist who was incarcerated at Topaz during WWII

en
ja
es
pt

Discover Nikkei Updates

NIKKEI NAMES 2
Vote for Nima-kai Favorite!
Read the stories and give a star to the ones you like the most! Help select our Community Favorite.
NIMA VOICES
Episode 17
November 12
5pm PDT | 7pm PET
Featured Nima:
Graciela Nakachi
Guest Host:
Enrique Higa

Presented in Spanish
NEW SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT
We’re on Instagram!
Follow us @discovernikkei for new site content, program announcements, and more!