Willie Ito

Willie Katsutoshi Ito Jr. (born July 17, 1934) is an American animator. He worked for Walt Disney Productions in the 1950s, moved to Warner Bros. Cartoons and Hanna-Barbera Productions as a character designer, and later returned to Disney.

In addition to animation, Ito has illustrated several children's books. and later the Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah.

In 1954, Ito began working for Walt Disney Studios as an assistant to animator Iwao Takamoto on the film Lady and the Tramp. He later joined Warner Bros. Cartoons, where he worked with the animators Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng. According to Ito, Freleng borrowed him from the Chuck Jones unit, resulting in his first screen credit as a layout artist for Prince Violent.

In 2024, Ito announced his upcoming feature short animation film, Hello Maggie, based on the children's book he illustrated, Hello Maggie (2007), an account of his family's experience in the Japanese internment camps in the United States during World War II.

Awards

2014: Inkpot Award 2021: Winsor McCay Award from the International Animated Film Society at the 48th annual Annie Awards, in recognition for his career accomplishments in the animation industry.