Topcraft

Topcraft (トップクラフト, also written "Top Craft") was a Japanese anime studio established in 1972. It was famous for doing animation for hand-drawn animation titles by Rankin/Bass and for the production of the Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The studio dissolved in late 1985, when it was going bankrupt which allowed Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata to buy the studio and changed its name to Studio Ghibli and many Topcraft animators latter joined Ghibli or went to work for other anime studios, thus making this studio the birth studio and start of Studio Ghibli.

Anime

Production

• Barbapapa (1974-1975) (with KSS)
• Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
• The Adventures of the Little Koala (1984-1985) (with Toho) (final produced anime before merging into Studio Ghibli)

Co-production and cooperative works

• Boken Korobokkuru (1973-1974) (Production Studio: Eiken and Tatsunoko) Co-Production
• Paul no Miracle Daisakusen (1976-1977) (Production Studio: Tatsunko) Animation Cooperation
• The Wizard of Oz (1982) (Production Studio: Toho) Production Cooperation
• Lensman (1984) (Production Studio: Madhouse Studios and MK Company) was one of the Animation Cooperations and Photography Studios
• Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984) (Production Studio: Artland, Studio Nue and Tatsunoko) Animation Cooperation and also did the In-Between Animation, the Finshing/Cleaning-up and the Photography
• Galactic Patrol Lensman (1984-1985) (Production Studio: Madhouse Studios and Office Academy) was one of the Animation Cooperations

Contributive Animation works

• Onbu Obake (1972-1973) (Production Studio: Eiken)
• Gatchaman (1972-1974) (Production Studio: Tatsunoko)
• Mazinger Z (1972-1974) (Production Studio: Toei Animation) (epsoides 55, 60, 64, 70, 76, 82, 84, 87 and 89)
• Jim Button (1974-1975) (Production Studio: Eiken)
• Maya the Bee (1975-1976) (Production Studio: Nippon Animation)
• Time Bokan (1975-1976) (Production Studio: Tatsunko) (epsoides 3, 8, 22, 24, 28, 31, 34, 37 and 42)
• Ippatsu Kanta-kun (1977-1978) (Production Studio: Tatsunko)
• Lupin III: Part II (1977-1980) (Production Studio: TMS Entertainment) (epsoides 24, 29, 109, 114, 119, 122, 124 and 128)
• Jarinko Chie (1981-1983) (Production Studio: TMS Entertainment) (eps 42, 45, 49 and 51)
• Kojika Mongatari (1983-1985) (Production Studio: MK Company) (epsoides 11, 12, 14, 22, 23, 27, 29 and 32)
• Sherlock Hound (1984-1985) (Production Studio: TMS Entertainment) (episode 24 only)
• Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs (1984) (Production Studio: Studio Pierrot) (eps 27 and 29 only)
• Yume no Button Nose (1985-1986) (Production Studio: Sanrio) (final anime title, before merging into Studio Ghibli) (epsoides 3, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17 and 19)

Non-anime

Cooperative

• The Dragon That Wasn't (Or Was He?) (1983) (with Rob Houwer Film) (Animation Cooperation by Top Craft and it's final non-anime title, before merging into Studio Ghibli)

Animation

(with Rankin/Bass)

• The Jackson 5ive (1971)
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1972)
• Wille Mays and the Hey-Say Kid (1972)
• Tom Sawyer (1972)
• Kid Power (1972-1974)
• Red Barron (1972)
• That Girl in Wonderland (1973)
• Twas the Night Before Christmas (1974)
• The First Easter Rabbit (1976)
• Frosty's Winter Wonderland (1976)
• The Hobbit (1977)
• The Stingiest Man in Town (1978)
• The Return of the King (1980)
• The Flight of Dragons (1982)
• The Last Unicorn (1982)

(with other Studios)

• Doctor Snuggles (1979-1980) (with PolyScope Production and DePatie-Freleng)
• Easter Fever (1980) (with Nelvana)

External links

• Topcraft at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Top Craft at IMDB
• Topcraft / Studio Ghibli: The Complete Story