More From Iwao Takamoto

 Well, it sure has been a minute. I'm sorry for the lack of posts this month. Work has been ramping up (and will probably get even crazier as the summer continues), I got a promotion, and I was down with the flu for over a week. With all of this going on, you probably won't be shocked that the blog got kind of lost in the mix. But I've got some cool stuff for this week, starting with a short newspaper piece on Iwao Takamoto. 

I originally meant to post this shortly after his 100th, but then all of the above happened. Better late than never, though! The following appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald on May 16th, 1997. Beyond being an intriguing look at how Takamoto operates as an artist, this may be the only time I've seen Velma referred to as Thelma.

Scooby who? Just ask Iwao Takamoto

By Richard Jinman

    Dogs have been good to Iwao Takamoto. The 72-year-old creator of celebrated cartoon canines such as Dick Dastardly's sniggerting comrade Muttley and The Jetson's space-age pooch Astro, admits a well-drawn dog can transform an animated film.
    So when CBS commissioned Hanna-Barbera to create a "teenage mystery" in the late 1960s, its primary designer was told the human cast—Fred, Daphne, Thelma and token beatnik Shaggy—needed a pet dog to inject some humour into proceedings.
    "Rather than a cute little dog, we decided to go for a big do,g and the biggest I could think of was a Great Dane," said Takamoto, who is in Sydney to open an exhibition of Hanna-Barbera animation art at the Silver K Animation Art Gallery in Parramatta.
    "I found out what made a prize-winning great dane and went in the opposite direction. The legs were supposed to be straight, so I made them bowed. I sloped the hind-quarters and made his feet too big. He was supposed to have a firm jaw, so I receded it..."
    Scooby-Doo was born.
    Today, the show is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, particularly in the United States. Its 60s fashion sense fits the prevailing retro-sensibility, and Scooby Snacks has even entered the language as street slang for narcotics.
    Takamoto's animation career began in 1945 when he secured a job at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.  
    A move to Hanna-Barbera in 1960 saw him playing a major role in the design of literally hundreds of animated characters. The Jetsons, Atom Ant, Precious Pupp, The Banana Splits, Wacky Races, and Grape Ape. Wacky Races' svelte damsel in distress, Penelope Pitstop, was a particular favorite.
    According to Takamoto, Pitstop—who was based on an old movie character called Pearl White— presented particular problems for his team of male animators.
    "As an animator, you become fascinated by movement," he said. "I'm not a woman, and there are so many nuances and bits of timing [peculiar to women] that aren't natural to me. It can be nothing more than a little gesture of frustration, but getting it right became an intellectual process."
    A fan of The Simpsons and the "craft" demonstrated by Ren and Stimpy, Takamoto denies there has been any radical shift in animation in the '90s.
    "Whether it's The Simpsons or The Flintstones, it's a reflection or caricature of the world we live in," he said. "The way we conceive or want the world we live in."

100 Years of Iwao Takamoto

 It was on this day 100 years ago that one of Hanna-Barbera's most prolific animators was born. That man was none other than Iwao Takamoto.

Truthfully speaking, what can you say about Iwao that hasn't already been said? The man was nothing short of brilliant, as seen by his impressive credits for Disney and Hanna-Barbera. He overcame great struggles, the most notable being his time at a Japanese internment camp during World War II. His creations continue to entertain and inspire generation after generation. Even during those many dark years at Hanna-Barbera, Takamoto continued to work hard and teach new, younger artists. 

Though Hanna-Barbera would cease to exist after Turner's merger with Time Warner, Takamoto continued to be active in the animation world. He was a creative consultant on numerous projects, primarily those centered on his most famous character, Scooby-Doo. Iwao Takamoto passed away on January 8th, 2007, from a heart attack. Dozens of tributes and eulogies from those in the industry followed. Below is a piece done by artist Scott Jeralds in memory of Iwao that appeared in several trade magazines following his passing. 

As an employee of Disney during its Silver Age and as someone who worked for most of Hanna-Barbera's history, it's no surprise that Iwao Takamoto was interviewed rather frequently. Here is a link to an interview he did for Animation Blast in 1999. It's a great read that I definitely recommend checking out. He also did a multi-part interview for the Japanese American National Museum in 1998. Below is the first clip, but if you'd like to see more, click the link right here. 

Of course, I also cannot recommend the books Iwao Takamoto: My Life with a Thousand Characters and Living With a Legend enough. These titles are quite different in style and objective, but they are both worthwhile reads for those interested in Iwao Takamoto. 

While Iwao may no longer be with us, his work and impact on animation is still felt, and that will continue for years to come. As his grave said, he was a man of gentle and humble spirit. His creative genius will live forever.

Artists of Hanna-Barbera at Work

 The early years of Hanna-Barbera were truly stacked in terms of artistic talent. Off the top of my head, Carlo Vinci, Ed Benedict, Dick Bickenbach, Iwao Takamoto, Jerry Eisenberg, and Bob Singer are just some of the talented men who made the golden era of Hanna-Barbera what it was. So why don't we celebrate them by showing some of these men at work? From Cartoon Network's old "Hanna-Barbera Studio Tour" feature, here's a small set of photos featuring several of their artists doing what they do best.

First up is Dick Lundy. Best known for creating Donald Duck, Lundy worked for HB between the years of 1959 and 1973. His resume for them was quite large, beginning with Quick Draw McGraw, and ending with Captain Caveman, the latter of which was a freelance gig. 

Second up is Dan Gordon, who appears to be working on a scene featuring Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble. Gordon worked at several other animation studios before coming to Hanna-Barbera, including Fleischer and Famous Studios. He was among the first to be recruited by Bill and Joe to join their company, and worked there until he passed away in 1970. 

Third on the list is someone I've talked about a few times before, and that is Jerry Eisenberg. Son of comic book artist Harvey Eisenberg, Jerry started working at Hanna-Barbera in 1961 until he left the studio in 1977 to join Ruby-Spears. In the nineties, he would come back to the studio, and work on shows like Johnny Bravo and Tom and Jerry Kids. A talented man who I have only heard great things about, Eisenberg is among the last of the artists from Hanna-Barbera's early years still with us today.

Dick Bickenbach is the next artist I'd like to spotlight. A man whose resume includes cartoons for WB, MGM, and Hanna-Barbera, he was another one of their first recruits, and stayed with the company until 1980. Richard was one of the artists who really developed the classic art style that we all know Hanna-Barbera for, and remains one of their most famous employees. Below, we see him posing for a photo in the midst of doing layouts for a Scooby-Doo cartoon.

Speaking of everyone's favorite Great Dane, here's the man who designed him and the rest of Mystery Inc., Iwao Takamoto! Starting off as an artist for Disney, Takamoto joined Hanna-Barbera in 1961, and became one of their most important employees, handling directing and producing duties on many later projects. He stayed with the company until it closed its doors in 1996, but continued to consult productions featuring the Hanna-Barbera characters until he passed away in 2007. Below we see him, both with and without facial hair, doing what he does best.

Drawing with Iwao

 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!