Isao Takahata
Also Known As: Такахата Исао, たかはた いさお, Paku-san, 타카하타 이사오, ایسائو تاکاهاتا
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).
Department: Directing
Place of Birth: Ujiyamada [now Ise], Mie, Japan
Adult: No
Birthday: October 29, 1935
Age: 89 years old
Gender: Male
Deathday: April 05, 2018
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Known For:
Yasuo Ōtsuka's Joy in Motion
Overview: Yasuo Ōtsuka was the mentor of Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki, the man who taught them to feel the joy of animation. As the supervising animator of their films and through the creation of superb scenes such as Lupin leaping from turret to turret in Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro, Ōtsuka made the impossible believable, and touched people’s emotions. To look back at the many works he was involved in is to review the history of Japanese animation after WWII. This film is a must for anime fans who want to learn how Japanese animation evolved.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2004-07-23
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Ghibli's Bookshelf
Overview: This August 2010 NHK documentary explores the influence of selected children's literature on Miyazaki and Takahata's body of work and on Studio Ghibli as a whole. Also included is a conversation between Miyazaki and Japanese author and TV personality Sawako Agawa.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2010-08-07
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The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
Overview: Follows the behind-the-scenes work of Studio Ghibli, focusing on the notable figures Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2013-11-16
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Isao Takahata and His Tale of the Princess Kaguya
Overview: For his first film in fourteen years animation director Isao Takahata embarked on a visually sumptuous adaptation of "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya". A dream project for the director that would hopefully establish the recently formed Ghibli Studio 7, created to meet the demands of a new type of modern animation process. But almost immediately the epic production is faced with difficulties and falls dramatically behind schedule. In this compelling and insightful documentary we follow Isao Takahata and his dedicated team of artists as they frantically strive against adversity to make their vision a reality and bring Studio Ghibli into a new Era.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2014-11-27
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The Secrets of My Neighbors the Yamadas
Overview: Nippon Television "Super TV Information Frontline Exclusive Coverage of 15 Months! The Secrets of the Rumored Movie "My Neighbors the Yamadas""
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
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Japanese Cinema: New Territories
Overview: This documentary by Hubert Niogret looks at the revival of Japanese cinema during the 1990s.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: fr
Release Date: 2011-03-25
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NHK Image File: I Want To Meet This Person - Isao Takahata, Animation Film Director
Overview: A short documentary dedicated to |sao Takahata, composed of archive images, released following his death in April 2018.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2018-04-06
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2399 Days with Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli
Overview: A documentary produced by NHK following the production of "The Boy & The Heron" over 7 years.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2023-12-16
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The World, The Journey Of My Heart - Traveler: Animation Film Director Isao Takahata
Overview: A documentary film following Isao Takahata to Canada to meet Frédéric Back.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1999-12-02
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Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron
Overview: A documentary that chronicles the making of The Boy and the Heron, filmed with exclusive access to Studio Ghibli across an astonishing seven years.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2024-10-10
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Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Museum
Overview: A documentary about the Ghibli Museum. It features Goro Miyazaki speaking with Isao Takahata about the "charm" of the museum and its various influences. Goro tours the viewer around the museum, explaining the intricate details that his father, Hayao Miyazaki made during its construction. The documentary highlights the strong European influences in the museum's architecture, featuring footage of the medieval mountainous city of Calcata in Italy and the historic port city of Genoa, which Miyazaki had visited in the past. These trips would go on to influencing the imagery seen in Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, and Spirited Away.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2005-03-18
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Paul Grimault, image par image
Overview:
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: fr
Release Date: 2003-11-25
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Ghibli and The Miyazaki Mystery
Overview: Studio Ghibli is Japan's most successful animation studio, with helmers Hayao Miyazaki ("Spirited Away," "My Neighbor Totoro") and Isao Takahata ("Grave of The Fireflies," "The Tale of Princess Kaguya") creating a bonanza for producer/prexy Toshio Suzuki. Generously adorned with clips from their films and their influences, the docu follows Ghibli's arc from a mid-'60s rebellion against working conditions at Toei Co. to its present powerhouse position, complete with public fun park. All interviews are illuminating, but Miyazaki is teasingly confined to pic's tete-a-tete finale with esteemed French comic artist Jean "Moebius" Giraud. Meeting of the wizened European, whose imprint is on films from "Blade Runner" to "The Fifth Element," and the apparently relaxed Nipponese helmer makes an interesting contrast, and will be of special interest to Francophiles. All credits are impeccable
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: fr
Release Date: 2005-01-07
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How Ghibli Was Born
Overview: A contemporary look at the creation and evolution of Studio Ghibli, from ‘The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun’ (1968) to ‘Princess Mononoke’ (1997).
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1998-01-01
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A Ghibli Artisan - Kazuo Oga Exhibition - The One Who Drew Totoro's Forest
Overview: From July 21 through September 10th, 2007, the Museum for Contemporary Art Tokyo held an exhibition honouring Kazuo Oga, the art director and background artist for many famed works from Japan's Studio Ghibli. Over 600 works from the artist were on display, and numerous fans flocked to the one-of-a-kind exhibition celebrating the lush, gorgeous background artwork typifying many a work from Hayao Miyazaki and other Ghibli filmmakers. International fans of Oga and Studio Ghibli have not been left out, however. A Ghibli Artisan - Kazuo Oga Exhibition - The One Who Drew Totoro's Forest allows fans the opportunity to attend the exhibition, as well as watch interviews and testimonials with Oga's contemporaries and collaborators, all subtitled in English.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2007-12-19
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The Story of Yanagawa's Canals
Overview: A partially-animated documentary about the preservation and restoration of the canal system in Yanagawa, Fukuoka
Genres: Documentary Animation
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1987-08-15
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The Making of Only Yesterday
Overview: A making of documentary on the Studio Ghibli film Only Yesterday
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 1991-07-22
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Hyohyo: Dear Mr. Yasuo Otsuka
Overview: Documentary about Yasuo Otsuka, famous Japanese animator and mentor of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Featuring interviews with Japanese animation legends such as Masaaki Osumi, Youichi Kotabe, Sadao Tsukioka and Isao Takahata.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2015-03-19
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The Cat Returns - Making of
Overview: A promotional film by Studio Ghibli about the work on the film "The Cat Returns" (directed by Hiroyuki Morita)
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2002-07-11
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Ghibli Landscapes - A Journey to Encounter Directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki's Starting Point
Overview: In this documentary we travel to the Swiss Alps and to the Canadian Prince Edward Island looking at the origins of the two classic TV series - Heidi, the Girl of the Alps and Anne of Green Gables. We will also learn how the Japanese scenery found its way into the latter. As the documentary was released as part of the From up on Poppy Hill promotion, a portion of it is dedicated to Yokohama, where the events of the film by Goro Miyazaki take place.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2011-12-31
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Ghibli Landscapes - Visit 'Japan' as Depicted by Isao Takahata
Overview: Aki Asakura, an actress who played the voice of Princess Kaguya, travels around Japan to visit the scenery that appeared in Takahata's work. The documentary also includes an interview with Director Takahata. This documentary is composed from the fragments of a program, aired by BS Nippon Television TV station on the 1st of January 2014, dedicated to the release of The Tale of Princess Kaguya.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2014-01-01
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The Birth of Studio Ghibli
Overview:
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: ja
Release Date: 2003-11-19
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Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature
Overview: A documentary that focuses on Hayao Miyazaki’s deep connection to nature and the environmental themes expressed through his films.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: fr
Release Date: 2025-05-09
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