Isao Takahata
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).
28 directing credits · 27 acting credits
Directing · 28
Lupin the 3rd
1971
Future Boy Conan
1978
Anne of Green Gables
1979
Heidi: Girl of the Alps
1974
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
2013
Pom Poko
1994
My Neighbors the Yamadas
1999
Only Yesterday
1991
Horus: Prince of the Sun
1968
Panda! Go Panda!
1972
Chie the Brat
1981
Panda! Go Panda!
1972
Anne of Green Gables: Road to Green Gables
2010
Gauche the Cellist
1982
Panda! Go Panda!: Rainy Day Circus
1973
Heidi: Girl of the Alps: Heidi and Clara
1993
3000 Leagues in Search of Mother: The Movie
1980
The Story of Heidi
1979
Winter Days
2003
The Story of Yanagawa's Canals
1987
Heidi in the City
1977
Heidi in the Mountains
1974
Heidi: Girl of the Alps: Mt. Alm
1993
3000 Leagues in Search of Mother
1976
Anne of Green Gables Digest Version
2014
Fantasia
1973
Wolf Boy Ken: Scared by a Ghost: The Greatest Operation in the Jungle
1964
Grave of the Fireflies
1988
Acting · 27
Kulturplatz
2004
10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki
2019
Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature
2025
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
2013
Japanese Cinema: New Territories
2011
Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron
2024
NHK Educational TV Special
1985
Ghibli and The Miyazaki Mystery
2005
The Story of Yanagawa's Canals
1987
Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya
2014
Hyohyo: Dear Mr. Yasuo Otsuka
2015
The Cat Returns - Making of
2002
Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Museum
2005
The Making of Only Yesterday
1991
Ghibli's Bookshelf
2010
Super TV: Frontline Information 15 Months of Exclusive Coverage! The Secret Behind "My Neighbors the Yamadas"
2000
2399 Days with Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli
2023
Paul Grimault, image par image
2003
Ghibli Landscapes - A Journey to Encounter Directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki's Starting Point
2011
The Birth of Studio Ghibli
2003
A Ghibli Artisan - Kazuo Oga Exhibition - The One Who Drew Totoro's Forest
2007
Yasuo Ōtsuka's Joy in Motion
2004
The World, The Journey Of My Heart - Traveler: Animation Film Director Isao Takahata
1999
How Ghibli Was Born
1998
Ghibli Landscapes - Visit 'Japan' as Depicted by Isao Takahata
2014
Hotaru no Haka to Takahata Isao to 7-satsu no Nōto
2025
NHK Image File: I Want To Meet This Person - Isao Takahata, Animation Film Director
2018