Takahata deliberately adopted more experimental
In 1984 Takahata produced Hayao Miyazaki’s second directorial feature Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. The following year the two men co-founded the production company Studio Ghibli, where Takahata would work for the remainder of his career.
Takahata directed five feature films at Ghibli. Unlike Miyazaki, who adopted a relatively similar aesthetic and style from film to film, Takahata deliberately adopted more experimental and varied styles on each project. His 1999 film My Neighbors the Yamadas used an identical style to the newspaper comic strip on which it was based, whereas his final feature The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013) adopted the look of traditional Japanese ink drawings. Kaguya also earned Takahata an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. His other films included the animated drama Only Yesterday (1991) and the ecological fantasy Pom Poko (1994).
Takahata’s most enduring animated work was also his first at Studio Ghibli: the 1988 war-time tragedy Grave of the Fireflies. Adapted by Takahata from the Akiyuki Nosaka novel, it presented the story of two young siblings’ struggle to survive during the final months of World War II. It remains a powerful and heart-breaking depiction of the human cost of war. Originally released as a double feature with Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro , it was initially a commercial failure. Subsequent years increased its reputation and prestige. Today it is one of the most famous and acclaimed anime films ever made.
