Isao Takahata
Directing • Born 1935-10-29 – Died 2018-04-05
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
27 credits
Yasuo Ōtsuka's Joy in Motion
Movie • 2004
Self
Ghibli's Bookshelf
Movie • 2010
Self
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
Movie • 2013
Self
Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya
Movie • 2014
Self
Super TV: Frontline Information 15 Months of Exclusive Coverage! The Secret Behind "My Neighbors the Yamadas"
Movie • 2000
Japanese Cinema: New Territories
Movie • 2011
Self
NHK Image File: I Want To Meet This Person - Isao Takahata, Animation Film Director
Movie • 2018
Self (archive footage)
2399 Days with Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli
Movie • 2023
Self
The World, The Journey Of My Heart - Traveler: Animation Film Director Isao Takahata
Movie • 1999
Himself
Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron
Movie • 2024
Self (archive fotage)
Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Museum
Movie • 2005
Self
Paul Grimault, image par image
Movie • 2003
Self
Ghibli and The Miyazaki Mystery
Movie • 2005
Self - Interviewee
How Ghibli Was Born
Movie • 1998
Himself
A Ghibli Artisan - Kazuo Oga Exhibition - The One Who Drew Totoro's Forest
Movie • 2007
Self
The Story of Yanagawa's Canals
Movie • 1987
Himself
The Making of Only Yesterday
Movie • 1991
Self
Hyohyo: Dear Mr. Yasuo Otsuka
Movie • 2015
Self
The Cat Returns - Making of
Movie • 2002
Self
Ghibli Landscapes - A Journey to Encounter Directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki's Starting Point
Movie • 2011
Self
Ghibli Landscapes - Visit 'Japan' as Depicted by Isao Takahata
Movie • 2014
Self
The Birth of Studio Ghibli
Movie • 2003
Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature
Movie • 2025
Self (archive footage)
Hotaru no Haka to Takahata Isao to 7-satsu no Nōto
Movie • 2025
Self (archive footage)
10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki
TV • 2019
Self
Kulturplatz
TV • 2004
Self
NHK Educational TV Special
TV • 1985
Himself