Isao Takahata
Director
Biography
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
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
as Self 2013
Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron
as Self 2024
The Story of Yanagawa's Canals
as Himself 1987
Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya
as Self 2014
Ghibli and The Miyazaki Mystery
as Self - Interviewee 2005
Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Museum
as Self 2005
A Ghibli Artisan - Kazuo Oga Exhibition - The One Who Drew Totoro's Forest
as Self 2007
The World, The Journey Of My Heart - Traveler: Animation Film Director Isao Takahata
as Himself 1999
The Making of Only Yesterday
as Self 1991
The Cat Returns - Making of
as Self 2002
Paul Grimault, image par image
as Self 2003
How Ghibli Was Born
as Himself 1998
Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature
as Self (archive footage) 2025
Yasuo Ōtsuka's Joy in Motion
as Self 2004
Ghibli's Bookshelf
as Self 2010
Super TV: Frontline Information 15 Months of Exclusive Coverage! The Secret Behind "My Neighbors the Yamadas"
2000
Japanese Cinema: New Territories
as Self 2011