In Memoriam: Isao Takahata (1935 – 2018)

Sad news.
wqNd6GW.gif

A legend the equal of Miyazaki, even though to most casuals he's not the first person they think of when mentioning Ghibli. A good innings indeed.
 
RIP

I feel bad that I haven't seen any of his works yet. Just received Kaguya only a couple of days ago so that'll change very soon.
 
I think he made three masterpieces: Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday, and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. All of the most would be in my top 5 animated films.

Grave of the Fireflies more than earns its soul crushing reputation, but it's full of moments of great beauty and humanity. As is Only Yesterday, but where Grave crushes it chooses to uplift and, at the same time, be one of cinema's most accurate and relatable depictions of memory and growing up. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya lies somewhere in between the two, but is simply one of the most beautiful films ever made. The animation becomes the emotion. Or vice versa?

He said that, unlike Miyazaki, he wasn't a genius. I'm not so sure. Regardless, he left a body of work that makes him worthy of being considered one of the all time greats of Japanese cinema.
 
Last edited:
Very sad news, but as a creator Takahata definitely made his mark on the world and leaves behind a legacy that will live on through his work, which is the best I think anyone can hope for from life.

Grave of the Fireflies is obviously a very well renowned and important film and Only Yesterday, while not the most well known, seems to gain more admirers as time goes on (and with good reason). As @Yami says, his films certainly have the power to move people emotionally and that's not an easy thing to acheive.
 
Last edited:
I've somehow never seen Grave of the Fireflies, but Only Yesterday is my favourite of all Ghibli films (Whisper of the Heart just behind it). @Yami you're spot on about it being one of the most relatable depictions of growing up and coming to terms with childhood memories. Such a sweet (but not sickly) film too. I will need to watch it again, although the last time I did I basically broke down (in kind of a good way).
 
Wow, what timing - I actually just finished showing two Takahata films to a small crowd of friends at my Studio Ghibli Movie Marathon #6 two Sunday's ago - we watched Princess Kaguya and Grave of the Fireflies, along with Miyazaki's Totoro. 11 days later he passes... Rest in peace, Takahata-sama...

Only Yesterday is my favorite Takahata film as well. It was the very first Studio Ghibli film I ever bought - the JP silhouette Blu-ray - and it was responsible for me ending up importing the entire 24 silhouette release series, plus all the pre-ghibli and ghibli-related Blu-rays with English subtitles from Japan, too.
 
Last edited:
While it probably won't be spoken about much over here, I wonder how much of the Japanese coverage will be about his near-medium-defining series Heidi, Girl of the Alps and Anne of Green Gables. I don't expect to ever see them, or 3000 Years in Search of Mother, get released here (though I would sure like to be proven wrong) but it's a shame that they're not even available to stream in 2018.
 
Today, we mourn the loss and celebrate the life of Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata ("Grave of the Fireflies", "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya"), who passed away on 5 April 2018, aged 82.

Continue reading...
 
:(

I hadn't even heard. How very sad.

God rest.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya will remain as one of my all-time Ghibli favourites.
 
Robbie Collin has written a wonderful tribute for The Telegraph

Some reactions:

Studio Ponoc: On the passing of director Isao Takahata… With our condolences and sympathy to his family and friends... We were honored and humbled to know you and work with you, and are deeply grateful for all you so generously gave us and the world. Thank you, Takahata-san. Studio Ponoc

Yoshiaki Nishimura (Producer of Princess Kaguya): Takahata-san gave me the gift of the most bountiful experience of my life. Meeting him, sharing time, talking, laughing...even getting angry together. I most certainly will never forget the great pleasure of making a film with him and his boundless passion for films and peace. Takahata-san, thank you very, very much. Takahata-san, the world's finest animation director, will forever be my teacher.

Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3, Coco): Really sad to hear about the passing of Isao Takahata, co-founder of Studio Ghibli. “Grave of the Fireflies” is an amazing, emotional film. And “My Neighbors the Yamadas” is incredibly charming. It also had a big influence on Michael Arndt’s script for “Little Miss Sunshine.”

Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells, The Song of the Sea): Such sad news to wake up to - Takahatas work will Continue to inspire and influence so many of us - it was an honour for me to meet him when he was in LA for the oscar nomination of Princess Kaguya - a daily reference point of discussion for us on Wolfwalkers

Jorge R. Gutierrez (The Book of Life): No animated movie has made me cry more than this tender, gorgeous, profound, soulful and landmark film. A giant of our art form has left us. RIP maestro Isao Takahata

Peter Lord (Co-Founder of Aardman): Very sorry to hear about the death of this terrific director and delightful man.

Rian Johnson (Looper, The Last Jedi): Grave of the Fireflies (directed by Isao Takahata) is tied with Make Way For Tomorrow for the saddest film ever made.

LeSean Thomas (Cannon Busters, Children of Ether): Today we lost a giant in Isao Takahata; Among many things, catalyst in helping change the face of animation in Japan with his debut film, introducing us to a young talent who would later be a legend and the other half of founding Studio Ghibli. Rest easy Takahata-Sensei.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top