Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Hiromasa Yonebayashi
10.07.1973 (51 years) (Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan)
Hiromasa Yonebayashi (米林 宏昌, Yonebayashi Hiromasa, born July 10, 1973 in Nonoichi, Ishikawa, Japan), nicknamed Maro (麻呂), is a Japanese animator and director, formerly for Studio Ghibli. After his directorial debut with Studio Ghibli (The Secret World of Arrietty), he became the youngest director of a theatrical film produced by the studio. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2015 for his second film, When Marnie Was There. Together with Ghibli producer Yoshiaki Nishimura, Yonebayashi left Studio Ghibli in December 2014 after 18 years, and established Studio Ponoc in June 2015. His first film as director at Studio Ponoc is Mary and the Witch's Flower. He studied at the Kanazawa College of Art, where he majored in commercial design.