Hiromasa Yonebayashi (born 1973) is a Japanese animator and film director who spent nearly two decades at Studio Ghibli, progressing from key animation work on Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away to directing his debut feature The Secret World of Arrietty (2010). His second film, When Marnie Was There (2014), earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. After leaving Ghibli, he co-founded Studio Ponoc, where he directed Mary and the Witch's Flower (2017) and is currently developing a new feature described as an epic adventure.
Ponoc studio producer Yoshiaki Nishimura confirmed that Yonebayashi is working on a new feature-length adventure film for Ponoc studio, which according to him will be 'epic and action-packed'.
Shortly after the Japanese premiere of The Imaginary (December 2023), Yonebayashi suffered a heart attack, from which he has reportedly made a full recovery.
As part of Ghibli Fest 2024, both of Yonebayashi's Ghibli films - Arrietty and When Marnie Was There - were re-released in American cinemas.
Studio Ponoc signed a contract with Netflix for global streaming of its future films, with the platform acquiring rights to Yonebayashi's Mary and the Witch's Flower.
Yonebayashi worked as a key animator on Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron (2023), thereby connecting the legacy of both studios.
