Satoshi Kon, Japanese Animation Director, Dies of Cancer

by Amy Judd | August 25, 2010 at 07:34 am

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Satoshi Kon, a Japanese Animation Director, Has Died From Pancreatic Cancer at Age 46

The famous director whose films have been shown to audiences worldwide died at 6:20am on Tuesday August 24 according to information released by his office Kon's Tone.

He made his name in the world of animation with his film Perfect Blue in 1997 and gained international attention for his character's realistic expressions and his use of animation as an art form. In 2003 his film Tokyo Godfathers was nominated for an Oscar and his 2006 movie Paprika was shown at the Venice Film Festival. The Associated Press reports that he won the audience award at the Brussels anime festival in 2007 for Paprika.

He will also be remembered for his work on Millennium Actress, in which Kon blurred the lines between animation and film in this 2001 hit featuring footage from real films.

Kon was working on "Yumemiru Kikai (Dream Machine)" before his death.

Featuring a futuristic adventure starring a robot, it would have been his first work aimed at children after he produced a series of what he called "animations which adults can enjoy".

No funeral arrangements or memorial arrangements have been announced at this time.