Topcraft Limited Company (株式会社トップクラフト), also written as "Top Craft", was a Japanese animation studio established in 1972, by former Toei Animation producer Toru Hara, and located in Tokyo, Japan. It was famous for the production of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), Hayao Miyazaki's theatrical anime film adaptation of his 1982–94 manga series. Topcraft is well known for its collaboration for hand-drawn animation titles by Rankin/Bass Productions (New York City, US). Together, they produced several well-known animated television specials and feature films, including The Hobbit (1977) and The Return of the King (1980).
History
The studio was founded on February 1, 1972, by former Toei Animation staff, including Toru Hara. In its early years, Topcraft served as the primary animation studio for Rankin/Bass's hand-drawn animated productions.[1][2] Notable works include The Hobbit (1977), The Return of the King (1980), and The Last Unicorn (1982). These projects contributed to the studio's international reputation. A significant turning point for Topcraft was its involvement in the production of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
Despite its achievements, Topcraft faced financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy, leading to its dissolution on June 15, 1985, essentially splitting the studio in half. Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki and Isao Takahata acquired the assets and formed Studio Ghibli after the advice of Tokuma Shoten[3] Topcraft's founder, Toru Hara, became Studio Ghibli's first manager.[4] Other animators of Topcraft later formed another studio, called Pacific Animation Corporation and headed by Masaki Iizuka, to continue working with Rankin/Bass on television shows like ThunderCats and Silverhawks, but eventually joined Ghibli once Pacific Animation was bought out by The Walt Disney Company and became Walt Disney Animation Japan.[5] Some animators, like Tsuguyuki Kubo, went to work for other studios, such as Studio Pierrot, working on Naruto and Bleach for them. Toru Hara died on December 14, 2021, at the age of 85.
Works
Productions
Co-productions
Collaborative works in partnership with Rankin/Bass
Contributive works
External links
References
- The Japanese Studios of Rankin/Bass cartoonresearch.com, retrieved March 17, 2018^
- Jonathan Clements, Helen McCarthy. The Anime Encyclopedia, 3rd Revised Edition: A Century of Japanese Animation Stone Bridge Press, February 9, 2015, retrieved March 17, 2018^
- Rayna Denison. Before Ghibli was Ghibli: Analysing the historical discourses surrounding Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky (1986) East Asian Journal of Popular Culture, 1 April 2018^
- Hayao Miyazaki Biography, Revision 2 June 24, 1994^
- https://xoomer.virgilio.it/fedgrame/english.htm,^