Comments on: Iwao Takamoto

By: Dave Herron

Dave Herron — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

I had the pleasure of meeting Iwao at an art gallery visit in Seattle back in ‘97. He was very warm, gracious and so approachable and was enlightened by the reponse of visiters to the gallery to see him. I have been a cartoon nut and H-B fan since I was knee-high and his visit was chance to meet another one of the ‘greats.’ I met Bill Hanna at a gallery appearance in 1991. Anyway, I happened to have opportunity for some one-on-one time with Iwao and his wife and as a cartoon junkie, I wanted to ask him something that wasn’t the “who’s your favorite character?” type of question. As he and his wife Barbara sat, I felt compelled to kneel. It was as much of a way for me to get more relaxed and make him feel more at ease as it was a simple gesture of respect to him. I asked him, “What would you say out of all your years in animation has been your proudest moment?” It was with that, he paused and thought to himself. Then with a bit of a gleam in his eye he said to me, “making the ‘Last of the Curlews’ for the ABC After School Special and being honored with the Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Programming.” THAT, was such a complete surprise for me to hear that it almost bowled me over into tears, my eyes started to well up. I told him that “Last of the Curlews” was a cartoon that I haven’t seen in over thirty years, yet I remember the impact that it made on me that day and I carry with me to this day. A trade brochure advertised it as, “A lesson in not only the importance of conservation, but for the reverence of life — all life.” I will never forget that TV movie and of my brief, but powerful visit with Iwao. He was a true gentleman and a friend of millions. Thanks for everything!

By: Julie Aguilar

Julie Aguilar — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Thank you for your memories of Iwao. I was so blessed to meet & work with him back in 1997 for the WB gallery in Costa Mesa. It was amazing to tell Iwao that he was the reason I wanted to be an animator, and Scooby Doo of course. He was so encouraging to me about the Animation business. And, I was so blessed to see him again, this time working in the same industry. He always took the time to speak with me. He will always be with us.

By: Aliki

Aliki — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Wow..thank you for that lovely eulogy Eric.
Iwao was one of the people I got to interview for my senior thesis in college (entitled “why do cartoons today suck”). It was around the same time I met John K., and learned of Fred…it was an important and exciting time for me as a young animator to be, and my interview with him was inspirational. He was very gracious with his time and knowledge. What an honor it was to meet him and get to talk with him.

By: Diana Ritchey

Diana Ritchey — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Iwao was such an inspiration to me when I started at Hanna Barbara years ago. He has since become my mentor and my friend. I am so blessed to have known him, and so sad that he is now gone.

By: Tom Minton

Tom Minton — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Iwao virtually drew, and at the peak of his considerable ability, until the day he died. He never lost it. Lucid and incisive, a treasure trove of animation history, the man was a legend. With the passing of Joe Barbera, Ed Benedict and now Iwao, we are indeed at the end of an era.