10 Facts About Makiko Futaki

Makiko Futaki was a Japanese animator best known for her contributions to Studio Ghibli on films such as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away.

Makiko Futaki is known for her role as a key animator on the cult classic film, Akira, and her early work with studio Gainax on Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise.

Makiko Futaki died on May 13,2016, due to an unknown illness at a Tokyo hospital.

In college, Futaki began to gain recognition as an animator for the cine-calligraphy style films she presented at the amateur PAF Animation Festival.

Makiko Futaki began with a minor role doing in-between animation on Hayao Miyazaki's directorial debut film, Lupin the III: The Castle of Cagliostro, in 1979.

Makiko Futaki continued by doing partial work on most of the first few Studio Ghibli movies while still working on other feature projects with different studios.

Makiko Futaki had worked on every single Ghibli film since 1998 with her final contribution being on 2014's When Marnie Was There.

Makiko Futaki expressed a particular interest in nature as well as an empathy for animals, and this has been reflected in her animation style.

Makiko Futaki was responsible for animating scenes, such as the meeting between Mei and Totoro in My Neighbor Totoro, the rooftop meeting between Pazu and Sheeta in Castle in the Sky, and the opening scene in Kiki's Delivery Service.

Makiko Futaki was one of three artists, along with Miho Satake and Yuko Shimizu, that provided illustrations for Moribito, a fantasy novel series by Japanese author Nahoko Uehashi.