Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
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SUMMER 2026 15 D I A L O G U E Disney. He reviewed Ito's portfolio and gave him an impromptu character drawing test. A day later, Ito received a Western Union telegram. To his delight, Disney wanted him to report to work the following Monday. Takamoto was assigned as his mentor, and Ito's first task was working on the memorable spaghetti kiss scene in Lady and the Tramp. Takamoto set high standards for Ito, challenging his mentee to grow as an artist. Ito likes to say that he became a disciple of Master Takamoto. Then, when Lady and the Tramp wrapped, the crew was laid off—and a new chapter began. Ito received a call from an old friend who worked "in a dump." That friend was Chuck Jones, calling from "Termite Terrace," Warner Bros.' smoky, derelict building that housed many of animation's couldn't refuse: Director of Character Art International for the burgeoning Disney Consumer Products division. Along with training artists and shaping products, Ito got to travel on Disney's dime. He enjoyed his time there until retirement. Today at age 92, Ito is still sharp as a tack— actively doing commissions, mentoring, illustrating books, and producing. As he shared his story with the group of TAG members, the perfect cap to their visit was learning of his happy reunion with his precious Dopey bank. The little figurine—a symbol of young Ito's innocence—had its coins stolen during the internment, just as Ito's freedom was taken for a time. Yet the character, and the inspiration it sparked, remained intact—like Ito's own spirit. More than eight decades later, Dopey still sits on Ito's shelf, quietly bearing witness to a lifetime devoted to the artform he loves. —Dan Schier most famous artists (and termites, too). At Warner Bros., Ito worked on numerous shorts including Pepe Le Pew, Wile E. Coyote & Road Runner, and his favorite, One Froggy Evening. But he wasn't just working at the studio. He was making memories and friends. As his career proceeded, Ito gravitated toward character design, and he made his way to Hanna-Barbera with his great friend Jerry Eisenberg and mentor Takamoto. Now principal Hanna- Barbera artists, they welcomed him into the studio. Ito began on Season 1 of The Jetsons, and he recalls pulling inspiration from Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, while updating Flintstones' gimmicks from pre-historic to futuristic. Hanna-Barbera marked a prolific stretch in Ito's career. He was busy for so long that eventually it became time to downshift. The moment coincided with an offer from Disney that he