Masashi Ando
Masashi Ando is a Japanese animator, character designer and filmmaker.
He is known for working with Hayao Miyazaki, Satoshi Kon and Makoto Shinkai.
He was the animation director and character designer for three of the four anime films in the top five box office revenues of Japanese films of all time: Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Your Name.
Career
Ando took the entrance exam for Studio Ghibli while he was a student at the Nihon University College of Art and was accepted.
At the young age of 25, Ando was chosen to be the chief animation director of Princess Mononoke.
Ando also served as Hayao Miyazaki's right-hand man on Spirited Away in 2001, but left Ghibli after a confrontation with Miyazaki over directing methods.
Ando has been involved in Satoshi Kon's films since 2003, and served as character designer and animation director for Kon's 2006 film Paprika.
He worked as a character designer and animation director for Hiroyuki Okiura's A Letter to Momo in 2012.
He joined Studio Ghibli films for the first time in a long time in 2013 as a member of the animation staff for The Tale of Princess Kaguya. In 2014, he worked on When Marnie Was There as an animation director for Studio Ghibli for the first time in 13 years since Spirited Away, and also co-wrote the script for the film.
He led the animation team for the Makoto Shinkai-directed Your Name in 2016.
Ando made his directorial debut with Shika no Ō: Yuna to Yakusoku no Tabi, alongside co-director Masayuki Miyaji. He also served as character designer and animation director.
Filmography
Films
Only Yesterday – in-between animationPorco Rosso – key animationOcean Waves – assistant animation director, key animationPom Poko – key animationWhisper of the Heart – key animationPrincess Mononoke – character design with his mentor Yoshifumi Kondo, chief animation directorMy Neighbors the Yamadas – key animationSpirited Away – character design, chief animation directorTokyo Godfathers – animation director, key animationGhost in the Shell 2: Innocence – key animationTekkonkinkreet – key animationPaprika – character design, animation director and key animationEvangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo – key animationA Letter to Momo – character design, animation director, key animationThe Tale of [The Princess Kaguya (film)|The Tale of Princess Kaguya] – animationWhen Marnie Was There – screenplay, character design, animation directorThe Last: Naruto the Movie – key animationMiss Hokusai – key animationYour Name – character design with Masayoshi Tanaka, animation directorNapping Princess – key animationMary and the Witch's Flower – key animationThe Deer King – director with Masayuki Miyaji, storyboard, character design, chief animation director
TV series
The [Legend of Zorro (anime series)|The Legend of Zorro] – key animationOverman King Gainer – key animationParanoia Agent – character design, animation director and key animationGhost in the Shell: [Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG] – key animationDenno Coil – key animationBunny Drop – key animation
OVA
The Animatrix – key animation
Music videos
On Your Mark – character design, animation director
Web animation
Japan Animator Expo – key animation
Video games
Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color – key animation