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Takamoto's ToonsPOSTED BY JASON FETTERS, February 1, 2015 Share
Beginning in 1969, Scooby-Doo, remained a staple of the Saturday morning cartoon lineup. This beloved cartoon series has had an enormous effect on pop culture and Scooby snacks even has its own entry on Wikipedia. How does this series get started?
It all started with Iwao Takamoto, whose father moved to the United States, and briefly returned to Japan to find a wife. Takamoto was born in Los Angeles on April 29th, 1925. He was a gifted student, graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School at only 15.
Like many Japanese Americans, who later became famous, Iwao, was forced into an internment camp after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Much like Robert Kinoshita, Iwao, received illustration lessons from his fellow internees. This started his career.
He created his own sketchbook and after WWII ended, was hired as an Assistant Animator, by Disney in 1945. It was at Disney that he become involved with character design. Takamoto worked on Disney classics like Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, and the One Hundred and One Dalmatians. This is the kind of work animators’ dream of being a part of.
Leaving Disney in 1961, Takamoto was hired by the cartoon producing machine that would dominate Saturday morning cartoons, Hanna-Barbera. It was here that he met a fellow employee who happened to breed Great Danes. Iwao started to imagine what would happen if you took away all the good traits that made Great Danes win prizes and he applied the opposite traits to his drawings and Scooby-Doo was born.
When Scooby-Doo debuted on CBS on September 13th, 1969 at 10:30am, Scooby quickly became more popular than the human characters.
Takamoto also designed another famous dog called, Astro, for the Jetsons, as well as, Penelope Pitstop for Wacky Races.
Iwato directed Charlotte’s Web in 1973. He also directed The Jetsons movie in 1990.
Takemoto received several awards during his lifetime like the Winsor McCay Award in 1996 and the Golden Award from the Animation Guild in 2005. He died of a heart attack in 2007 at 81. Yet, his cartoon creations continue to live on as children see his movies and series and he will always be remembered by animation fans worldwide.
"The Asian Aperture" is ©2015 by Jason Fetters. All contents of Crazed Fanboy are ©2015 by Nolan B. Canova and Terence Nuzum.
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