“He is probably best known for his first film at Ghibli, the critically acclaimed Grave of the Fireflies (1988), a tale of two children struggling to survive at the end of World War II. Takahata himself survived heavy U.S. bombing of Okayama City when he was 9 years old. … The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, Takahata’s fifth and final for Ghibli, was one of the most expensive Japanese films made, anime or live-action, with a budget of around $50 million.”