| TAKAHATA, Isao |
![[Takahata]](takahata.jpg) |
Miyazaki's long time colleague and another leading head of Ghibli. Unlike Miyazaki, Takahata
started his career as a director from the
beginning. Born in 1935, he graduated from the most prestigious University in Japan,
Tokyo University, and joined the newly founded
animation studio, Toei Doga in 1959 (an interesting career move to say the least).
He and Miyazaki became friends through the animators' union
at Toei Doga, of which Miyazaki was a chairman, and Takahata was a vice chairman.
His first movie, "Horus: The prince of the Sun" (1968) is
still considered as one of the greatest pieces of Japanese animation. Miyazaki
worked as an animator for this movie, providing numerous ideas.
Takahata and Miyazaki kept on working as a director-animator team, for great
many masterpieces of anime such as "Lupin III", "Heidi", "3000
Leagues in Search of Mother" and "Anne of Green Gables".
|
When Tokuma approached Miyazaki about making "Nausicaa" into a movie, the only condition Miyazaki asked for was to have Takahata as the producer. This was the first time Takahata ever worked as a producer but he did a great job. He also produced the next Miyazaki movie, "Laputa", and then directed his first Ghibli movie, "Grave of the Fireflies" in 1988. Since then, he directed "Only Yesterday" and "Pom Poko", worked as the music director of "Kiki", and produced "I Can Hear the Sea".
To know more about him,
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