The official website of Studio Ghibli announced on Friday that director Isao Takahata died on Thursday, April 5 at 1:19 a.m. in a Tokyo hospital due to lung cancer. He was 82 years old.
The funeral will be held among family and friends. Toshio Suzuki, after discussing with Hayao Miyazaki, decided to hold a grand memorial meeting for him on May 15, to honor him as an influential member of Studio Ghibli.
Takahata entered Toei Douga, later known as Toei Animation since 1998, in 1959 after graduating from The University of Tokyo in French literature. His directorial debut was Taiyou no Ouji: Horus no Daibouken, which premiered in 1968. Before leaving Toei Douga, he also directed Alps no Shoujo Heidi, Akage no Anne TV anime and movie, Haha wo Tazunete Sanzenri, and more. He co-founded Studio Ghibli with Miyazaki in 1985 and produced many anime movies such as Hotaru no Haka, Omoide Poroporo, and Kaguya-hime no Monogatari. He was awarded Medal with Yellow Ribbon in 1998, Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award at Annecy International Animated Film Festival in 2014, and Order of Arts and Letters in 2015 in France.
Source: Comic Natalie
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Anime