More Than Movies at the Phoenix Film Festival: The Art of Animation with Willie Ito

Don’t miss this rare chance to meet an animation legend during a special Phoenix Film Festival event. 

The short film "Hello Maggie!" is a tender, true story that illuminates the friendship between a bird named Maggie and a young boy, Shig, as his family struggles to survive at the WWII Heart Mountain internment camp in Wyoming. Based on Shigeru Yabu’s children’s book—and informed by Ito’s own childhood experiences in the internment camps—the film brings history to life through Ito's animation. From "Lady and the Tramp" to "The Jetsons" and "Hong Kong Phooey," Ito’s work shaped generations. 

Afterward, stay for a discussion with Willie Ito and Kevin Sandler, associate professor of film and media studies at ASU.

Ito's visit to Arizona is supported by the Phoenix Film Festival, the Department of English and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ASU, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute of ASU, and the Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix.