R.I.P. Iwao Takamoto

Iwao Takamoto, the animator who created the beloved character of Scooby-Doo and directed the cartoon classic "Charlotte's Web," has died. He was 81.

Takamoto, whose career spanned more than six decades and who learned the craft while in a Japanese-American internment camp, died Monday of heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Warner Bros. spokesman Gary Miereanu said.

Takamoto assisted in the designs of some of the biggest animated features and television shows for Disney and the Hanna-Barbera animation team. They included "Cinderella," "Peter Pan," "Lady and the Tramp," "101 Dalmatians," "The Jetsons" and "The Flintstones."