Isao Takahata (October 29, 1935 – April 5, 2018), co-founder of Studio Ghibli, was one of the most famous directors of Japanese animated films. Unlike most anime directors, he did not draw and never worked as an animator before becoming a director. For the first two decades of his career from the 1960s to the 1980s, Takahata worked primarily as director for anime television. In 1985 he and his long-time collaborative partner Hayao Miyazaki formed Studio Ghibli with Toshio Suzuki and Yasuyoshi Tokuma. From that point, his career transitioned into producing, directing, and writing films for Studio Ghibli. He is known for his five feature length anime films released under Ghibli, Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Only Yesterday (1991), Pom Poko (1994), My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999) and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013).

Isao Takahata

Directing Born October 29, 1935 – Died April 5, 2018 Ujiyamada [now Ise], Mie, Japan

For the first two decades of his career from the 1960s to the 1980s, Takahata worked primarily as director for anime television. In 1985 he and his long-time collaborative partner Hayao Miyazaki formed Studio Ghibli with Toshio Suzuki and Yasuyoshi Tokuma. From that point, his career transitioned into producing, directing, and writing films for Studio Ghibli. He is known for his five feature length anime films released under Ghibli, Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Only Yesterday (1991), Pom Poko (1994), My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999) and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013).

Known For

Isao Takahata

Known For

Kulturplatz

10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki

Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature

Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya

2399 Days with Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli

Ghibli and The Miyazaki Mystery

Japanese Cinema: New Territories

The Making of Only Yesterday

Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Museum

Yasuo Ōtsuka's Joy in Motion