Film director Isao Takahata, who established new cinematic expressions in animation with such works as the TV anime "Arupusu no Shojo Haiji" (Heidi, A Girl of the Alps) and film "Hotaru no Haka" (Grave of the Fireflies), died on Thursday. He was 82.
Takahata died of lung cancer at 1:19 a.m. at a hospital in Tokyo, according to sources.
Born in Mie Prefecture and raised in Okayama Prefecture, Takahata graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1959, majoring in French literature. He worked at Toei Doga (currently Toei Animation Co.) and released the TV series "Alps no Shojo Heidi" in 1974.
In 1985, Takahata founded the production company Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki, his junior colleague at Toei who is now 77. In 1988, Takahata directed "Hotaru no Haka," a film adaptation of a story written by Akiyuki Nosaka in which the director skilfully depicted the tragedies of war.
In 1998, Takahata was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon by the government. In 2014, he received an honorary award at the renowned Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.
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