Masami Hata

Masami Hata (正美, Hata Masami; born 5 November 1942)^[1] is a Japanese animator and director known for his contributions to television and theatrical animation.

Born in 1942 in Taihoku (now Taipei) during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, Masami Hata was raised in Japan's Toyama Prefecture.

Hata began his career in 1965 as an animator at Mushi Production, directing episodes of Wonder 3 (The Amazing 3). During his time at Mushi Production, he also contributed to other notable series, including Ribbon no Kishi (Princess Knight) and Ashita no Joe.^[2]

Following the closure of Mushi Production in 1973, Hata briefly worked with Tokyo Movie Shinsha, where he provided storyboards and directed episodes for various television series. In 1975, he joined Sanrio as the company expanded into animation production. During his tenure at Sanrio, which lasted for over a decade, Hata directed several feature-length animated films, including the 1978 film Ringing Bell and the 1985 film Fairy Florence.^[3]

After the dissolution of Sanrio's animation division, Sanrio Films, in 1985, Hata continued his career as a freelance director and storyboard artist, contributing to a range of television series and theatrical productions across different studios.

Notably, Hata was selected as the co-director of the 1989 TMS film Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland along with William Hurtz after a lengthy production process. Before reaching him, the film passed through numerous other creative hands, including Isao Takahata, Hayao Miyazaki, Ray Bradbury, Chris Columbus, Brad Bird, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnson, Paul Julian, Jean “Moebius” Giraud, and Brian Froud.^[4]