Kazuo TAKAHATA
Kazuo Takahata is a Japanese anime director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his work on the Studio Ghibli films Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbor Totoro, and Princess Mononoke.
Takahata was born in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, on October 29, 1935. He studied at the University of Tokyo, where he majored in economics. After graduating, he worked as an animator for Toei Animation. In 1964, he co-founded the animation studio Nippon Animation.
Takahata's first major success came with the 1971 anime series Heidi, Girl of the Alps. He went on to direct a number of other popular anime series, including Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, and Akage no Anne.
In 1985, Takahata co-founded Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki. He directed his first Ghibli film, Grave of the Fireflies, in 1988. The film was a critical and commercial success, and it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
Takahata continued to direct successful films for Studio Ghibli, including My Neighbor