Isao Takahata, co-creator of one of the most revered animation studios in the world, Studio Ghibli, passed away today at the age of 82. Takahata co-founded the studio that would go on to created such films as Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro in 1985 alongside Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki and Yasuyoshi Tokuma.

Takahata directed numerous films throughout his career, chief among them being Grave of the Fireflies, a semiautobiographical animation about the horrors of post-World War II Japan. The film, released in 1988, was lauded by critics. Its popularity endures to this day as one of the most moving war films of all time.

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Takahata’s film career began in 1968 with The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun, a film about a young boy who pulls an ancient sword from the shoulder of a massive golem, only to be sent on a whirlwind adventure to reforge the blade and become the Prince of the Sun. The film is notable for eschewing tropes of the time and introducing a nuanced, complex plot unafraid to broach adult, overtly political topics.

Takahata’s final film was Red Turtle, which he produced. The film was a co-production between Studio Ghibli and Wild Bunch. Directed by Michaël Dudok de Wit, the film follows a man shipwrecked on a desert island who meets a giant, red turtle. The film’s story is expressed entirely without the aid of dialogue.