Born in Mie Prefecture in 1935 and dying in Tokyo in 2018, Isao Takahata studied French literature at the University of Tokyo and joined Toei Animation, where he made The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun (1968). He directed literary adaptations for Nippon Animation, including Heidi, Girl of the Alps and Anne of Green Gables, and in 1985 co-founded Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) is among the most moving anti-war films. He later made Only Yesterday (1991), Pom Poko (1994), My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999) and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013), which was nominated for an Oscar.
Filmography
- The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun (1968)
- Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
- Only Yesterday (1991)
- Pom Poko (1994)
- My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999)
- The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)