R.I.P. Studio Ghibli Co-Founder Isao Takahata

The Japanese anime legend directed such films as 'Grave of the Fireflies,' 'Pom Poko' and 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya '

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Apr 6, 2018

Isao Takahata — the famed Japanese anime director who co-founded Studio Ghibli — has died. Those close to Takahata confirmed his passing Friday (April 6), saying he died at a Tokyo hospital. He was 82.

Takahata co-founded Ghibli with animator Hayao Miyazaki in 1985, with the company going on to produce some of Japan's highest regarded anime films.

Takahata was perhaps best known for his award-winning 1988 film Grave of the Fireflies, a moving tale of two orphans during the Second World War. His most recent film, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, earned him an Oscar nomination in 2014 for best animated feature.

Takahata produced more than 20 films in his long and distinguished career. Among his most famed works are productions such as the Miyazaki-directed Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Castle in the Sky.

Takahata also helmed the TV series Lupin the Third and Heidi, Girl of the Alps, as well as directed films such as My Neighbors the Yamadas, Pom Poko and Only Yesterday.

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