Born in San Jose, California, he was a Japanese-American film director and animator known for his work on both animated and live-action films. He grew up in a Japanese internment camp during World War II, which deeply influenced his later work. He began his career at UPA and went on to direct projects such as "The Snowman" and "When the Wind Blows." After moving to Ireland, he co-founded an animation studio and continued to make significant contributions to the industry until his passing in 2014.