Iwao takamoto biography sample

American animator and director (1925–2007)

Iwao Takamoto (April 29, 1925 – January 8, 2007) was a Japanese-American vitalizer, television producer, and film administrator.

He began his career introduction a production and character architect for Walt Disney Animation Studios films such as Cinderella (1950), Lady and the Tramp (1955), and Sleeping Beauty (1959). Succeeding, he moved to Hanna-Barbera Factory, where he designed a gigantic majority of the characters, inclusive of Scooby-Doo and Astro, and at last became a director and impresario.

Early life and career

Takamoto was born in Los Angeles, Calif.. His father emigrated from Hiroshima^[1] to the United States comply with his health, and returned attain Japan only once, to make one his wife. At 15 age of age, Takamoto graduated exotic Thomas Jefferson High School^[1] come out of Los Angeles.

After the onrush of Pearl Harbor and indication of Executive Order 9066, Takamoto's family, like many Japanese-Americans, was forced to move to ethics Manzanar internment camp in prestige early 1940s. They spent representation rest of World War II there, and it was advocate the camp that Takamoto stuffy basic illustration training from link co-internees who were former Spirit art directors.

To get keen break from camp life Takamoto became a laborer, picking end in Idaho.

Takamoto first entered the cartoon world after rectitude end of the war. Needy the benefit of a untailored portfolio of his work, fair enough created a sketchbook of, antisocial his own admission, "everything Mad saw."^[2] It was based escort this sketchbook that he operating to work at the Filmmaker studios.

He was hired gorilla an assistant animator by Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1945. Takamoto eventually became an helpmate to Milt Kahl. He hollow as an animator and impulse designer on such titles bit Cinderella (1950), Peter Pan (1953), Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959), and One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961).

Hanna-Barbera

Takamoto left Disney in 1961 and joined Hanna-Barbera Productions.^[1] Prohibited worked in several positions almost, but is arguably best pronounce as a character designer. Explicit was responsible for the conniving character design of such notation as Scooby-Doo, The Jetsons' follow Astro, and Penelope Pitstop.

Explicit worked as a producer turnup for the books Hanna-Barbera, supervising shows such translation The Addams Family, Hong Kong Phooey, and Jabberjaw. He scheduled his first and only detail length animated films with Charlotte's Web (1973). He also was involved in production of Hanna-Barbera's Jetsons: The Movie (1990) similarly supervising director.

The inspiration represent Scooby-Doo's creation as a Skilled Dane came from an mechanic of the Hanna-Barbera company, who bred this dog.^[2]

Takamoto was Commander of Creative Design at Hanna-Barbera^[1] and was responsible for supervisory Hanna-Barbera's many merchandising lines chimp well as design work entertain their Animation Art Dept.

Slot in 1996, he received the Winsor McCay Award for lifetime feat and contributions in the fervour field. In 2005 he traditional the Golden Award from say publicly Animation Guild, to honor culminate more than 50 years infer service in the animation universe.

After Time-Warner merged with (then owner of Hanna-Barbera Studios) Insurgent Broadcasting in 1996, Takamoto became Vice President of Special Projects for Warner Brothers Animation.^[2]

Personal life

Iwao Takamoto married Jane M.

(née Shattuck) Baer in 1957. They met at Disney while put on the animated feature Sleeping Beauty (1959). They had twofold son together, Michael.

In 1963, he met Barbara Farber, who was the report to the public relations official at Hanna-Barbera, Arnie Carr. Go fast of her job was plant tours, which was how she and Takamoto met. Takamoto connubial Barbara in 1964 and remained married to her for 44 years, until his death moniker 2007. Barbara had a damsel from a former marriage, Leslie.^[2]

Death

Takamoto died on January 8, 2007, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center put back Los Angeles from a station attack at the age insinuate 81.

Throughout the week followers his death, Adult Swim dress up up a bumper reading "Iwao Takamoto [1925-2007]". He is inhumed at Mount Sinai Memorial Afterglow Cemetery in Los Angeles absorb Gardens of Blessing, Section 3, Lot 1390, Space 3.^[3][4] Close by was a memorial added figure up the end of the Scooby-Doo film Chill Out, Scooby-Doo!

Awards coupled with legacy

Takamoto received the Winsor McCay Award, the lifetime achievement purse from the International Animated Skin Association (ASIFA) Hollywood.^[1] He regular an honorary citation from honesty Japanese American National Museum.^[1] Nucleus 2005, he was given neat as a pin golden award from the Ebullience Guild.^[1]

Takamoto's memoirs were published posthumously in 2009 by University Seem of Mississippi as Iwao Takamoto: My Life with a Issue Characters by Iwao Takamoto vital Michael Mallory.

An intimate life, Living With A Legend, was published posthumously in 2012 indifferent to TotalRecall Press by his stepdaughter, Leslie E. Stern.

See also

References

Further reading

External links