If there's one member of the Hanna-Barbera family I feel like I should mention more on this blog, the first one that comes to mind has to be Iwao Takamoto. A Japanese-American animator, Iwao Takamoto started off as an animator for Walt Disney in the forties and fifties, working on films like Lady and The Tramp and Sleeping Beauty. In the sixties, Takamoto moved to Hanna-Barbera and became one of the longest-tenured employees at the studio. Takamoto proved instrumental in creating character designs for shows such as Scooby-Doo and Wacky Races and produced many of their later projects. He played a pivotal role in the studio from 1961 until the Time Warner/Turner merger of 1996. Even after that, Iwao continued to be involved in new projects featuring the Hanna-Barbera characters until he passed away on January 8th, 2007.
Unlike many other crew members who worked on Hanna-Barbera classics, Iwao Takamoto was often interviewed for his role in shaping these shows. If you have any of the Hanna-Barbera DVD sets, the chances are high that he'll be featured in one of the BTS featurettes. However, for today, I have something a bit more special to honor this animation legend. Taken way back in 2002, here's an awesome video of Takamoto drawing two Hanna-Barbera favorites: Scooby-Doo and Fred Flintstone! Sit back, relax, and watch an animation expert at work!
If you want to know more about Iwao, I suggest you check out the book Iwao Takamoto: My Life with a Thousand Characters. This title collects many of his memoirs and is a great read for both general animation fans and Hanna-Barbera diehards. If you enjoy reading about animation history, this is one book that deserves to have a spot in your collection!
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