Isao Takahata, Director and Co-Founder of Studio Ghibli, Dies at 82

Isao Takahata, co-founder of Studio Ghibli together with long-time collaborator Hayao Miyazaki and acclaimed director of “Grave of the Fireflies,” “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” and other animated features, died on Thursday in a Tokyo hospital at age 82.According to local media sources, Takahata had been in declining health since last summer with a weakened heart.Takahata joined Toei Animation after college and made his feature debut as a director with the 1968 “Horus: Prince of the Sun.”In 1971 Takahata, together with Miyazaki and Yoichi Kotabe, left Toei for Shin-Ei Animation studio.

There he directed episodes of “Lupin II,” an comedy-inflected action-adventure TV series.His best-remembered TV work from this period, however, is “Heidi, Girl of the Alps,” a 1974 series based on the classic novel that he directed for Nippon Animation.In 1985, together with Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki, Takahata launched Studio Ghibli.

His first film for the studio, “Grave of the Fireflies,

Read full article