Pop Japan

Isao Takahata is a Japanese film director, animator, and screenwriter. He is known as the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, along with Hayao Miyazaki. His career spans six decades directing world-renowned and critically-acclaimed works like Grave for the Fireflies (1988), Jarinko Chie (1981), and The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013), which is his final film.

His interest in animation began in college after he was introduced to the French animated cartoon, Le Roi et l'oiseau (The King and the Mockingbird). He was impressed by the impact the animation could have on those who see it, so he then proceeded to join Toei Animation. Most of Takahata's work has been influenced by Italian neorealism, Jacques Prévert, and 1960s French New Wave films.

Photo by Boungawa. Licensed under Creative Commons. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

Tags: anime, Isao Takahata, Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki, Grave for the Fireflies, Jarinko Chie, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, Le Roi et l'oiseau, The King and the Mockingbird, Toei Animation, neorealism, Jacques Prévert