Thecharacters created by illustrator and animator Norio Hikone (ひこねのりお, b. 1936) areinstantly recognizable to young and old alike in Japan. A graduate of Tokyo University of the Arts, Hikonegot his start working as an animator/inbetweener for Toei Animation (Alakazam the Great, The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon) and Mushi Pro (Kimba the White Lion, Jungle Emperor Leo).
In1966, he founded Hikone Studios and made a name for himself doing animatedshorts for TV as well as a variety of commercial work. He has done a great deal of animation for theNHK including the long-running popular programmes Minna no Uta (Everybody’s Song) and Manga Nippon Mukashi-banashi (Manga Nippon Folk Tales). His client list runs quite long, but he isperhaps best known for his delightful Karl Ojisan (Uncle Karl) TV spots for theMeiji Seika snack food “Curls”. Theseran from 1986-90 and are a source of much nostalgia for folks who grew up inJapan in the 1980s. Norio Hikone alsocontributed to Kihachirō Kawamoto’srenku animation WinterDays (2003). Check out his official website to see more of hisendearing characters in action (JP only).
Hereis the list Hikone contributed to Laputa’sTop 150 Poll in 2003.. Hikonehimself featured on many lists, including that of the late MasahiroKatayama.
Le roi etl’oiseau
(王と鳥 やぶにらみの暴君, PaulGrimault, France, 1948)
Mr. Bug Goes toTown (aka Hoppity Goes to Town)
( バッタ君町に行く, DaveFleischer, USA, 1941)
Legend of theWhite Serpent
(白蛇伝, TaijiYabushita/Kazuhiko Okabe, Japan, 1958)
Toot, Whistle,Plunk, and Boom
(プカドン交響楽, WardKimball/Charles A. Nichols, USA, 1953)
Betty Boop inSnow White
(ベティの白雪姫, DaveFleischer, USA, 1933)
Popeye theSailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor
(ポパイと船乗りシンドバッド, DaveFleischer, USA, 1936)
The Snow Queen
(雪の女王, Lev Atamov etal., Russia, 1957)
Around the Worldwith Willy Fog
(80日間世界一周,Luis Ballester, Spain/Japan, 1987)
TheOld Mill (Silly Symphonies)
(丘の風車,Wilfred Jackson, USA, 1937)
TheSpider and the Tulip
(くもとちゅうりっぷ, Kenzō Masaoka,Japan, 1943)
BlinkityBlank
(線と色の即興詩,Norman McLaren, Canada, 1955)
Hedgehogin the Fog
(霧につつまれたハリネズミ,Yuri Norstein, Russia, 1975)
TheMan Who Planted Trees/L'homme qui plantait des arbres
(木を植えた男, Frédéric Back, Canada,1987)
Kitty’sGraffiti
(こねこのらくがき,Taiji Yabushita/Yasuji Mori, Japan, 1957)
TheLittle Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon
(わんばく王子の大蛇退治,Yugo Serikawa, Japan, 1963)
AnimalTreasure Island
(どうぶつ宝島,Hiroshi Ikeda, Japan, 1971)
Nausicaäof the Valley of the Wind
(風の谷のナウシカ,Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 1984)
YellowSubmarine
(イエロー・サプマリン,George Dunning, 1968)
TheDemon
(鬼,Kihachirō Kawamoto, Japan, 1972)
