In Conversation with Animator Willie Ito and Historian Mindy Johnson

Join us for an exclusive conversation with Japanese American artist Willie Ito about his inspiring decades-long career in animation. After Ito and his family were taken from their home in San Francisco and interned at a camp in Utah for Japanese Americans during WWII, he overcame incredible adversity by landing his dream job at The Walt Disney Studios as an animator on Lady and the Tramp (1955). He will also discuss his current work illustrating children’s books, speaking to animation students, and participating in comic conventions. The discussion will be moderated by Mindy Johnson, a preeminent historian, filmmaker, and expert on women in early animation.

Tickets for In Conversation with Animator Willie Ito and Historian Mindy Johnson will be available as follows:

• Walt’s Circle Donors: Purchase tickets beginning Wednesday, February 19 at noon PST by emailing membership@wdfmuseum.org.
• Supporter, Founding, and Friend-level members: Purchase tickets beginning Thursday, February 20 at noon PST by emailing membership@wdfmuseum.org.
• All member levels: Purchase tickets beginning Friday, February 21 at noon PST via the Member Portal.
• Public (non-members): Purchase tickets beginning Saturday, February 22 at noon PST.

Join as a member or upgrade your current membership to receive priority access and discounts to programs like these. For more information, please visit our Membership page.

Born a San Franciscan in 1934, Willie Ito went to Los Angeles to attend Chouinard Art Institute—which would become one of the founding institutions of CalArts—as a scholarship student. He took classes from influential Disney figures Marc Davis and T. Hee. Watching Disney’s The Reluctant Dragon (1941) inspired Ito’s interest in seeing the studio. He called the company, mentioning his in-progress portfolio, and was invited to come in for a review. Although still a student, he was invited to return for some drawing tests, and was stunned when they hired him. His first task was with the "Lady" unit on Lady and the Tramp (1955).

Ito credits his mentor, Iwao Takamoto, the first Japanese American animator, for being instrumental in his hiring at Disney. It was under Takamoto's careful eye that Ito learned the ropes on the iconic "spaghetti kiss" scene in Lady and the Tramp.

Following work on Lady and the Tramp, Ito went on to work at other animation studios for the next 25 years, returning to Disney in 1986 to head Disney Store product development and sourcing as Creative Director. He was also involved in the early days of Disney's venture into 1980s afternoon television and helped create The Wuzzles (1985) and Adventures of the Gummi Bears (1985). He retired from Disney in 1999 to care for his wife Rosemary. 

Now 90, Ito is the sole surviving Japanese American animator who was interned during WWII in American concentration camps for Japanese citizens and Japanese Americans. He is also, to his knowledge, the sole surviving member of the Lady and the Tramp animation team.

Currently, Ito spends his time attending comic conventions, speaking to animation students, and working on projects close to his heart such as Hello Maggie! (2007)—a book and soon-to-be animated short film—and The Story of Lucy (2024), highlighting the puppy mascot of the medics of the 3rd Battalion of the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT).

Award-winning author, historian, filmmaker, and preeminent expert on women in early animation, Mindy Johnson’s groundbreaking book, Ink & Paint – The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation (Disney Editions), redefines our collective history. This essential volume casts a light on the thousands of unsung female artists behind the creative and technical advances within the animated art form. Recipient of ASIFA-Hollywood’s June Foray “Annie Award”, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - AMPAS/Oscars.org Film Scholar Award, along with the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Educators Forum Grant, Johnson continues research into the earliest women of animation with a forthcoming book & film entitled The Only Woman Animator – Bessie Mae Kelley & Women at the Dawn of an Industry. Notably, Johnson unearthed the oldest-surviving hand-drawn animated and directed films by a woman. This game-changing discovery of Bessie Mae Kelley and her early work at the dawn of animation redefines the established understanding of our collective past. Kelley’s restored films had their world premiere at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles—100 years after their creation.

Johnson’s young-reader volume entitled Pencils, Pens & Brushes – A Great Girls’ Guide to Disney Animation, celebrates the contributions of 20 remarkable women within early Disney animation and is a treasure for all ages. Her critically acclaimed debut book, Tinker Bell – An Evolution was honored with rare consecutive Family Choice Awards, and she is a contributing writer for the epic Taschen volume, The Walt Disney Film Archives – The Animated Movies: 1921–1968 as well as the celebrated Disney Editions collection, Marc Davis: Walt Disney’s Renaissance Man.

A sought-after commentator, speaker, lecturer, and panelist, Johnson explores a wide range of subjects within her presentations and appearances at numerous studios, campuses, international festivals, and conferences including: The Smithsonian Speakers Series, The Pordenone Silent Film Festival, Aáahuac International Design Conference, Hippfest, Ottawa Int’l Animation Festival, NAFF Festival, Lucasfilm, DreamWorks, TCM Classic Film Festival, Film Forum-NYC, D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, ABC Network specials, San Diego Comic-Con, CTN Expo, World Animation Festival, and more. Johnson has also written for numerous international publications and produced record-breaking global campaigns for the film industry.  

Johnson’s creative work extends to a wide range of film projects including associate producing the award-winning documentary Pencils vs. Pixels (2024), in addition to creative work and appearances for clients, including: AMPAS/Oscars.org, TCM/Turner Broadcasting, WNET/American Masters, History Channel, ABC Television SPARK Animation Fest-Vancouver, The Walt Disney Family Museum, The Walt Disney Company, HoriPro Entertainment, Pixar Animation Studios, Stage 9 Exhibits, Sony Animation, Primary Wave, SiriusXM Radio, and more.

In addition to her work in network television and film production, Johnson is also an award-winning playwright, Grammy-nominated songwriter, musician, and a contributing artist on several internationally acclaimed recordings. When she is not speaking, researching, or writing on a myriad of subjects, Johnson also teaches film and animation studies, women’s animation history, screenwriting & intercultural film at CalArts, UCLA, and other campuses in Southern California and Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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