A celebration of the talent and legacy of important animated projects with the creators who made them happen.
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera changed animation forever when they founded Hanna-Barbera Productions in the late 1950s. The studio was a prominent fixture on American TV for half a century with hit shows like The Flinstones, The Yogi Bear Show, The Jetsons, Johnny Quest, Scooby-Doo and many, many more.
Join legendary animators Willie Ito and Floyd Norman as the pair revisit their careers at the studio and share details on the production process which Hanna-Barbera revolutionized.
SPEAKERS
Willie Ito
Animator
Sitting in front of a big screen at a neighbourhood theatre, a 5-year-old Willie Ito saw for the first time what cemented his lifetime career in the field of animated cartooning. Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs in living colour made such an impression, he drew constantly.
During his wartime incarceration, which was ordered for 120,000 Japanese Americans, he spent many hours just drawing and animating on margins of Sears catalogues to create his own flipbook. After 3 years in the camp, he and his family returned home to San Francisco. He continued to hone his drawing skills in High School and college. His professor in college encouraged him to attend Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles.
Willie's career started there at Disney as Iwo’s assistant where his first assignment was the iconic spaghetti kissing scene from Lady & the Tramp.
He later went on to Warner Bros. starting at the infamous ‘Termite Terrace’ with directors Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng. Some of the classics that he was involved with were What’s Opera Doc, One Froggy Evening, Pepe Le Pew, Daffy Duck and the ever favourite Coyote Roadrunner series.
Willie also did layouts and stories for Dr. Frank Baxter’s Science series. Friz Freleng borrowed him from Chuck Jones to lay out a short under Hawley Pratt’s mentorship. Willie received his first-ever screen credit as a layout artist on Prince Violence, later retitled Prince Varmit directed by Friz Freleng.
Bob Clampett who was starting production on his Time for Beany show invited Willie to join his studio. Willie converted his puppet characters into animation and the Beany and Cecil show went into production. Next followed a 14-year employment with Hanna-Barbera working on classic shows like The Flintstones, Jetsons, Yogi Bear and Scooby-Doo.
Amongst his many career accomplishments, Willie did many comic books, comic strips, children's books and cartoon illustrations. In a career that spanned over 50 years, Willie Ito is still active at the drawing board producing his animated version of his book Hello Maggie. The award-winning book was illustrated and published after his retirement from Walt Disney Studio as Director of Character Art International where he traveled to countries that had Walt Disney Production offices, overseeing and mentoring Disney artists from their respective countries.
Floyd Norman
Animator // Retired (but don't tell him that!)
Floyd Norman has been working in the entertainment business longer than he cares to admit. He began his professional career while still in high school, working as an assistant on Archie Comics. He polished his skills as a comic artist on Katy Keene the Fashion Queen. Enrolling in Art Center College of Design in the early fifties, he eventually dropped out of school when offered an entry-level position at Walt Disney Studios. Floyd learned his animation ropes doing the tedious, grunt work of an apprentice animation artist. By the sixties, he suddenly found himself in Disney’s prestigious story department, and even worked with Walt Disney on The Jungle Book. After that remarkable experience, his life has never been the same.
When the company founder died in the late sixties, Floyd decided to leave the studio. He and his partners formed their own production company to produce educational media. Many exciting projects passed through the studio doors, and it was a great learning experience for the fledgling filmmakers. Of course, there were many jobs to follow. Television commercials, animated segments for Laugh In, Sesame Street, Via Allegra, and the syncopated Soul Train. Then, there was a seven-year stint at Hanna-Barbera crafting The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo and many other kid shows designed to sell toys and sugared cereal.
Returning to Walt Disney Animation Studios in the nineties, Floyd developed The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Chinese legend, Mulan. However, after completing story work on additional animated films, he made the decision to move north to Pixar Animation Studios. While there, he developed the screen story for Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc. By the year 2000, it was time to retire, but Floyd chose to ignore the lawn chair and continued to work. Wearing his retiree badge, he came to work every day, even though he was no longer employed. Floyd illustrated children’s books and worked on toys and games in the Consumer Products Division. After completing a number of special animated film segments for Walt Disney Animation Studios and a short-form movie for Disney Parks & Resorts, the studio bosses realized he wasn’t going to go away. Floyd continues to occupy an office at the Walt Disney Company even today. “Some artists can walk away,” says Floyd. “However, I plan to die at the drawing board.” If you know Floyd Norman you know he means what he says.
MODERATOR
Keith Blackmore
Sr. Lecturer // Vancouver Film School
As an animation historian, Keith Blackmore has been a passionate cheerleader and a voice for all-things animated in the Vancouver area for almost 30 years. As one of the producers of the SPARK ANIMATION Festival and an active member of the local SIGGRAPH chapter, Keith has presented, interviewed and moderated at many festivals, local and national.
Since 1995, Blackmore has educated, entertained and inspired students in the history of animation and media studies at the Vancouver Film School. When he’s not reading, teaching or talking about animation, he’s watching it.
A celebration of the talent and legacy of important animated projects with the creators who made them happen.
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera changed animation forever when they founded Hanna-Barbera Productions in the late 1950s. The studio was a prominent fixture on American TV for half a century with hit shows like The Flinstones, The Yogi Bear Show, The Jetsons, Johnny Quest, Scooby-Doo and many, many more.
Join legendary animators Willie Ito and Floyd Norman as the pair revisit their careers at the studio and share details on the production process which Hanna-Barbera revolutionized.
SPEAKERS
Willie Ito
Animator
Sitting in front of a big screen at a neighbourhood theatre, a 5-year-old Willie Ito saw for the first time what cemented his lifetime career in the field of animated cartooning. Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs in living colour made such an impression, he drew constantly.
During his wartime incarceration, which was ordered for 120,000 Japanese Americans, he spent many hours just drawing and animating on margins of Sears catalogues to create his own flipbook. After 3 years in the camp, he and his family returned home to San Francisco. He continued to hone his drawing skills in High School and college. His professor in college encouraged him to attend Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles.
Willie's career started there at Disney as Iwo’s assistant where his first assignment was the iconic spaghetti kissing scene from Lady & the Tramp.
He later went on to Warner Bros. starting at the infamous ‘Termite Terrace’ with directors Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng. Some of the classics that he was involved with were What’s Opera Doc, One Froggy Evening, Pepe Le Pew, Daffy Duck and the ever favourite Coyote Roadrunner series.
Willie also did layouts and stories for Dr. Frank Baxter’s Science series. Friz Freleng borrowed him from Chuck Jones to lay out a short under Hawley Pratt’s mentorship. Willie received his first-ever screen credit as a layout artist on Prince Violence, later retitled Prince Varmit directed by Friz Freleng.
Bob Clampett who was starting production on his Time for Beany show invited Willie to join his studio. Willie converted his puppet characters into animation and the Beany and Cecil show went into production. Next followed a 14-year employment with Hanna-Barbera working on classic shows like The Flintstones, Jetsons, Yogi Bear and Scooby-Doo.
Amongst his many career accomplishments, Willie did many comic books, comic strips, children's books and cartoon illustrations. In a career that spanned over 50 years, Willie Ito is still active at the drawing board producing his animated version of his book Hello Maggie. The award-winning book was illustrated and published after his retirement from Walt Disney Studio as Director of Character Art International where he traveled to countries that had Walt Disney Production offices, overseeing and mentoring Disney artists from their respective countries.
Floyd Norman
Animator // Retired (but don't tell him that!)
Floyd Norman has been working in the entertainment business longer than he cares to admit. He began his professional career while still in high school, working as an assistant on Archie Comics. He polished his skills as a comic artist on Katy Keene the Fashion Queen. Enrolling in Art Center College of Design in the early fifties, he eventually dropped out of school when offered an entry-level position at Walt Disney Studios. Floyd learned his animation ropes doing the tedious, grunt work of an apprentice animation artist. By the sixties, he suddenly found himself in Disney’s prestigious story department, and even worked with Walt Disney on The Jungle Book. After that remarkable experience, his life has never been the same.
When the company founder died in the late sixties, Floyd decided to leave the studio. He and his partners formed their own production company to produce educational media. Many exciting projects passed through the studio doors, and it was a great learning experience for the fledgling filmmakers. Of course, there were many jobs to follow. Television commercials, animated segments for Laugh In, Sesame Street, Via Allegra, and the syncopated Soul Train. Then, there was a seven-year stint at Hanna-Barbera crafting The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo and many other kid shows designed to sell toys and sugared cereal.
Returning to Walt Disney Animation Studios in the nineties, Floyd developed The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Chinese legend, Mulan. However, after completing story work on additional animated films, he made the decision to move north to Pixar Animation Studios. While there, he developed the screen story for Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc. By the year 2000, it was time to retire, but Floyd chose to ignore the lawn chair and continued to work. Wearing his retiree badge, he came to work every day, even though he was no longer employed. Floyd illustrated children’s books and worked on toys and games in the Consumer Products Division. After completing a number of special animated film segments for Walt Disney Animation Studios and a short-form movie for Disney Parks & Resorts, the studio bosses realized he wasn’t going to go away. Floyd continues to occupy an office at the Walt Disney Company even today. “Some artists can walk away,” says Floyd. “However, I plan to die at the drawing board.” If you know Floyd Norman you know he means what he says.
MODERATOR
Keith Blackmore
Sr. Lecturer // Vancouver Film School
As an animation historian, Keith Blackmore has been a passionate cheerleader and a voice for all-things animated in the Vancouver area for almost 30 years. As one of the producers of the SPARK ANIMATION Festival and an active member of the local SIGGRAPH chapter, Keith has presented, interviewed and moderated at many festivals, local and national.
Since 1995, Blackmore has educated, entertained and inspired students in the history of animation and media studies at the Vancouver Film School. When he’s not reading, teaching or talking about animation, he’s watching it.
