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Yōichi Kotabe

From CartoonWiki

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates

Template:Nihongo[1] is a Japanese animator and character designer. He has worked on several anime films from the 1960s and 1970s,[2] the Super Mario video game series, and the Pokémon series in television and film.[3] He was an employee at Nintendo for two decades doing illustrations, character designs, and supervision from 1985 to 2007.[4] After that, he began to work as a freelancer for the anime and video game industry, including for Nintendo again.

Biography

Kotabe became interested in animation after watching the short film Momotarō no Umiwashi as a child. He was fascinated with how the fighter moved in the film. His father, who was an oil painter, also influenced his decision to work as an artist. Kotabe found oil painting to be difficult, so he instead worked in watercolor painting.

In order to continue working with watercolors, he adopted the nihonga, or Japanese-style, of painting, and began studying at the Tokyo University of the Arts in the Japanese-style painting department. While attending, he was impressed by the film The Tale of the White Serpent and the animator Yasuji Mori,[5][6] and immediately applied to work at Toei Animation.

His first project there was Hols: Prince of the Sun where he met Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. He left Toei amid a labor dispute[7] along with Miyazaki and Takahata in order to work at A Pro, where they began work on an adaptation of Pippi Longstocking. The project was eventually canceled, and work began on the two-film series Panda! Go, Panda!.

Kotabe then worked as character designer on two anime television series from Nippon Animation: Heidi, Girl of the Alps, and 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother, with Miyazaki working on scene design and layout and Takahata working as series director and storyboard artist.

In 1985, he was scouted by Nintendo and assumed the position of game development advisor, where he created package illustrations for Super Mario Bros. This was his introduction to video games. He left Nintendo in 2007, although he had originally only intended to stay at the company for one or two years at most.[4]Template:Unreliable source

Works

Year Title Crew role Notes Source[8]
Template:Dts Magic Boy Animator
Template:Dts Alakazam the Great Animator
Template:Dts Template:Nihongo3 Animator
Template:Dts–65 Template:Nihongo3 Animation director (mid-term)
Template:Dts Doggie March Key animation
Template:Dts–65 Shōnen Ninja Kaze no Fujimaru Animation director, key animation Also film
Template:Dts–66 Template:Nihongo Animation director, key animation
Template:Dts–67 Template:Nihongo Animation director
Template:Dts–68 Sally the Witch Animation director
Template:Dts The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun Key animation
Template:Dts Puss 'n Boots Key animation
Template:Dts Flying Phantom Ship Animation director
Template:Dts Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Key animation
Template:Dts–73 Akado Suzunosuke Animation supervisor assistant
Template:Dts Panda! Go, Panda! Animation director
Template:Dts Panda! Go, Panda!: The Rainy-Day Circus Animation director
Template:Dts Heidi, Girl of the Alps Character design, animation director Also related films
Template:Dts 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother Character design, animation director, animation
Template:Dts Rascal the Raccoon Animation
Template:Dts Tatsu no ko Taro Character design, animation director
Template:Dts–83 Jarinko Chie Animation director , Character design film and TV series
Template:Dts Serendipity the Pink Dragon Anime character design
Template:Dts–85 Template:Nihongo3 Key animation
Template:Dts Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Key animation
Template:Dts–85 Adventures of the Little Koala Animation director
Template:Dts–86 Bumpety Boo Animation director
Template:Dts Sango-sho Densetsu: Aoi Umi no Erufii Character design TV special film
Template:Dts Pokémon: The First Movie Animation supervisor Also Pikachu's Vacation short
Template:Dts Marco: 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother Original character
Template:Dts Pokémon 3: The Movie Animation supervisor
Template:Dts–13 Pocket Monsters: Best Wishes! Season 2 Animation supervisor
Template:Dts–16 Pokémon XY Animation supervisor
Template:Dts Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction Animation supervisor Also Pikachu short
Template:Dts Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages Animation supervisor


Awards and nominations

  • Animator/Animation Director award, Tokyo Anime Fair 6th Annual Awards of Merit, 2009.[2]
  • Special Achievement award, 19th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards, 2015.[9]

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Nintendo Template:Mario franchise Template:The Legend of Zelda Template:Authority control