The “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the SPARK Animation Festival

“We are delighted and honored to announce that legendary animator Willie Ito has received the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award at the SPARK Animation Festival, on the occasion of the Canadian premiere of his new film Hello Maggie, held this weekend in Vancouver, BC.

Born in 1934 in San Francisco, and interned as a child during World War II at the Topaz camp in Utah, Ito transformed his passion for drawing into an extraordinary career that led him to collaborate with Walt Disney, Warner Bros., and Hanna-Barbera. He contributed to timeless classics such as Lady & the Tramp, The Jetsons, and The Flintstones — and continues to create and inspire to this day.
Congratulations, Willie — and thank you for never ceasing to amaze us.”