Isao Takahata
Known for: Directing
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).
Filmography
Series
Kulturplatz
Self
2004
Series
10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki
Self
2019
Film
Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron
Self (archive fotage)
2024
Film
Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature
Self (archive footage)
2025
Film
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
Self
2013
Film
Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya
Self
2014
Series
NHK Educational TV Special
Himself
1985
Film
The Story of Yanagawa's Canals
Himself
1987
Film
Paul Grimault, image par image
Self
2003
Film
Japanese Cinema: New Territories
Self
2011
Film
Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Museum
Self
2005
Film
Ghibli and The Miyazaki Mystery
Self - Interviewee
2005
Film
2399 Days with Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli
Self
2023
NHK Image File: I Want To Meet This Person - Isao Takahata, Animation Film Director
Self (archive footage)
2018
Film
The World, The Journey Of My Heart - Traveler: Animation Film Director Isao Takahata
Himself
1999
Film
The Making of Only Yesterday
Self
1991
Film
Yasuo Ōtsuka's Joy in Motion
Self
2004
Film
Ghibli's Bookshelf
Self
2010
Film
The Birth of Studio Ghibli
2003
Film
Super TV: Frontline Information 15 Months of Exclusive Coverage! The Secret Behind "My Neighbors the Yamadas"
2000
Hotaru no Haka to Takahata Isao to 7-satsu no Nōto
Self (archive footage)
2025
Film
Ghibli Landscapes - Visit 'Japan' as Depicted by Isao Takahata
Self
2014
Film
How Ghibli Was Born
Himself
1998
Film
Ghibli Landscapes - A Journey to Encounter Directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki's Starting Point
Self
2011
Film
The Cat Returns - Making of
Self
2002
Hyohyo: Dear Mr. Yasuo Otsuka
Self
2015
Film
A Ghibli Artisan - Kazuo Oga Exhibition - The One Who Drew Totoro's Forest
Self
2007