Kimio Yabuki

Yabuki Kimio is a Japanese director. Known in Japan for his work on many early classic works by the Toei Douga studio, his best known film in the West is Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer from 1985, produced by the French company DiC with animation work done in Japan.

In 2014, at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2014, he received the "Anime Achievement Award" in the director's category, which recognizes people who have made significant contributions to the development of the anime industry and culture.

In 1969, he teamed up with a young Miyazaki Hayao in the production of an animated version of Puss in Boots. Yabuki was an employee of Toei Douga until going freelance in 1973, but did work on several Toei productions (including Dororon Enma-kun, Ikkyu-san, and The Kabocha Wine) afterwards.