Topcraft
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Native name | トップクラフト |
---|---|
Industry | Animated films, Animated television shows |
Founded | 1971 |
Founder | Toru Hara |
Defunct | June 15, 1985 |
Fate | Bankruptcy |
Successor | Studio Ghibli Pacific Animation Corporation |
Headquarters | |
Products | Anime, animated feature films, Television animated series |
Topcraft (トップクラフト Toppukurafuto, also written as "Top Craft") was an animation studio established in 1971 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 and for doing animation for hand-drawn animation titles by Rankin/Bass Productions (New York City, USA). The studio went bankrupt and dissolved on June 15, 1985, essentially splitting the studio in half. Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki and Isao Takahata formed Studio Ghibli. Topcraft's founder, Toru Hara, became Studio Ghibli's first manager.[1] Topcraft's animators later formed another studio, called Pacific Animation Corporation, 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.[2] Some animators, like Tsuguyuki Kubo, went to work for other studios, such as Studio Pierrot, working on Naruto and Bleach for them.
History[edit]
Despite suggestions otherwise, the transition from Topcraft's demise into the formation of Studio Ghibli is not clear. Ghibli was founded after the advice of Tokuma Shoten and the success of Topcraft's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.[3]
Production[edit]
Productions[edit]
Title | Year | In partnership with |
---|---|---|
The Jackson 5ive | 1971-1972 | Rankin/Bass |
The Osmonds | 1972-1973 | |
Kid Power | 1972-1974 | |
’Twas the Night Before Christmas | 1974 | |
Barbapapa | 1974-1975 | KSS |
The First Easter Rabbit | 1976 | Rankin/Bass |
Frosty's Winter Wonderland | ||
The Hobbit | 1977 | |
The Stingiest Man in Town | 1978 | |
Doctor Snuggles | 1979-1980 | PolyScope Production and DePatie-Freleng |
Easter Fever | 1980 | Nelvana |
The Return of the King | Rankin/Bass | |
The Flight of Dragons | 1982 | |
The Last Unicorn | ||
The Wizard of Oz | Toho, Wiz Corporation | |
The Coneheads | 1983 | Rankin/Bass and Broadway Video |
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind | 1984 | Tokuma Shoten Publishing Hakuhodo |
Adventures of the Little Koala | 1984-1985 | Tohokushinsha Film |
Button Nose | 1985-1986 | Sanrio |
Co-productions[edit]
Title | Year | Main studio |
---|---|---|
Onbu Obake | 1972-1973 | Eiken |
Adventures of Korobokkle | 1973-1974 | |
Jim Button | 1974-1975 | |
Time Bokan | 1975-1976 | Tatsunoko |
Paul's Miraculous Adventure | 1976-1977 | |
Ippatsu Kanta-kun | 1977-1978 | |
The Dragon That Wasn't (Or Was He?) | 1983 | Rob Houwer Film |
Lensman | 1984 | Madhouse |
Contributive works[edit]
Title | Year | Company | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Festival of Family Classics | 1972-1973 | Rankin/Bass | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Tom Sawyer |
The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie | The Red Baron Willie Mays and the Say-Hey Kid That Girl in Wonderland | ||
Mazinger Z | 1972-1974 | Toei Animation | Top Craft was the main animation studio for episodes 55, 60, 64, 70, 76, 82, 84, 87 and 89. |
Gatchaman | Tatsunoko | ||
Maya the Bee | 1975-1976 | Nippon Animation | |
Lupin III: Part II | 1977-1980 | Telecom Animation Film | Top Craft was the main animation studio for episodes 24, 29, 109, 114, 119, 122, 124 and 128. |
Jarinko Chie | 1981-1983 | Tokyo Movie Shinsha | eps 42, 45, 49 and 51 |
Kojika Mongatari | 1983-1985 | MK Company | eps 11, 12, 14, 22, 23, 27, 29 and 32 |
Lensman | 1984 | Madhouse Studios and MK Company | Was one of the Animation Cooperation and Photography Studios. |
Magical Fairy Persia | 1984-1985 | Studio Pierrot | Key Animation |
Sherlock Hound | TMS Entertainment | ep 24 only | |
Galactic Patrol Lensman | Madhouse Studios and Office Academy | Was one of the animation cooperation studios. | |
Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs | Studio Pierrot | eps 27 and 29 only | |
Sangokushi | 1985 | Shin-Ei Animation | Was one of the production cooperation studios. |
References[edit]
- ^ http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/miyazaki/miyazaki_biography.txt[bare URL plain text file]
- ^ http://xoomer.virgilio.it/fedgrame/english.htm,[dead link]
- ^ Denison, Rayna (1 April 2018). "Before Ghibli was Ghibli: Analysing the historical discourses surrounding Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky (1986)". East Asian Journal of Popular Culture. 4 (1): 31–46. doi:10.1386/eapc.4.1.31_1.
External links[edit]
- Topcraft at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Topcraft at IMDb
- co-productions database