Is Masanori Hata Still Alive?

Masanori Hata is no longer alive. Masanori Hata died at the age of 87 on April 5, 2023. He was a Japanese zoologist, essayist, and filmmaker.

Masanori Hata is known for Watership Down (1978), The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1986) and South to the Horizon (1986).

Masanori Hata was born on April 17, 1935, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan. He had been trained as a zoologist. Masanori Hata worked as a documentary filmmaker producing nature films.

Masanori Hata and associate director Kon Ichikawa shot 400,000 feet of film at the Mutsugorō Animal Kingdom.

Masanori Hata and associate director Kon Ichikawa’s film  Koneko Monogatari (子猫物語, A Kitten’s Story) released in 1986 was the highest-grossing film of the year in Japan. It was shown that year at the Cannes Film Festival as The Adventures of Chatran.

Masanori Hata established the Mutsugorō Animal Kingdom nature preserve in the eastern coast of Hokkaidō where he and his family lived with over 300 wild and domestic animals. Masanori is the author of over 100 books.