---
name: "Naoya Tanaka"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/naoya-tanaka"
fi1m_id: "naoya-tanaka"
imdb_id: "nm1302681"
tmdb_id: 78378
wikidata_id: "Q11575750"
roles: ["Production designer"]
born: "1 January 1963"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 76
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-09-28T21:13:33.908489+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Naoya Tanaka

## Identity

Naoya Tanaka

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/naoya-tanaka
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** naoya-tanaka
- **IMDb ID:** nm1302681
- **TMDB ID:** 78378
- **Wikidata ID:** Q11575750
- **Same entity:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11575750, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1302681/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/78378

Production designer. Born 1 January 1963 in Tokyo.

## Details

- **Work:** Production designer
- **Born:** 1 January 1963, Tokyo
- **Active:** 1992–2018
- **Frequently works with:** [Gen Urobuchi](https://film.one/person/gen-urobuchi.md), [Hiroyuki Seshita](https://film.one/person/hiroyuki-seshita.md), [Kōbun Shizuno](https://film.one/person/kobun-shizuno.md), [Mamoru Miyano](https://film.one/person/mamoru-miyano.md), [Takahiro Sakurai](https://film.one/person/takahiro-sakurai.md), [Takashi Yoshizawa](https://film.one/person/takashi-yoshizawa.md), [Tomokazu Sugita](https://film.one/person/tomokazu-sugita.md), [Yuki Kaji](https://film.one/person/yuki-kaji.md)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 84 (2), 2000s 86 (2), 2010s 56 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 86 to 79 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Genres:** Animation 6, Adventure 4, Fantasy 4, Science Fiction 2, Action 1, Family 1
- **Screen time:** 11 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $734m across 6 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11575750, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1302681/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/78378

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*Godzilla: The Planet Eater*](https://film.one/film/godzilla-the-planet-eater.md) (58), [*Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle*](https://film.one/film/godzilla-city-on-the-edge-of-battle.md) (55)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Naoya Tanaka is a Japanese production designer, art director and background artist. He graduated from the design department of Musashino Art Junior College and began working in animation backgrounds in the 1980s before joining Studio Ghibli in 1990.

At Ghibli he contributed as a background designer or art director on films including *Only Yesterday* (1991), *Porco Rosso* (1992), *Ocean Waves* (1993), *Princess Mononoke* (1997), *My Neighbors the Yamadas* (1999), *The Cat Returns* (2002), *Howl's Moving Castle* (2004) and *Ponyo* (2008). He later moved to Polygon Pictures, where he served as production designer on the animated *Godzilla* trilogy: *Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters* (2017), *Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle* (2018) and *Godzilla: The Planet Eater* (2018), as well as series such as *Knights of Sidonia* and *Ajin*.

*Sources: imdb.com, ja.wikipedia.org, ja.dbpedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (6)

- *Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle* (2018), Fi1m 55, Production design, Production Design — [page](https://film.one/film/godzilla-city-on-the-edge-of-battle.md)
- *Godzilla: The Planet Eater* (2018), Fi1m 58, Production Design, Production design — [page](https://film.one/film/godzilla-the-planet-eater.md)
- *Howl's Moving Castle* (2004), Fi1m 81, Background Designer — [page](https://film.one/film/howls-moving-castle.md)
- *Spirited Away* (2001), Fi1m 92, Background Designer — [page](https://film.one/film/spirited-away.md)
- *Princess Mononoke* (1997), Fi1m 88, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/film/princess-mononoke.md)
- *Porco Rosso* (1992), Fi1m 81, Background Designer — [page](https://film.one/film/porco-rosso.md)

## Complete filmography (29)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Thunder 3* (2026), series, Production Design
- *KamiErabi GOD.app* (2023), series, Production Design
- *GAMERA -Rebirth-* (2023), series, Production Design
- *AYAKA* (2023), series, Production Design
- *LUPIN THE 3rd vs. CAT'S EYE* (2023), Production Design
- *Kaina of the Great Snow Sea* (2023), series, Production Design
- *Knights of Sidonia: Love Woven in the Stars* (2021), Production Design
- *Levius* (2019), series, Production Design
- *Godzilla: The Planet Eater* (2018), Production Design — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/film/godzilla-the-planet-eater.md)
- *Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle* (2018), Production Design — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/godzilla-city-on-the-edge-of-battle.md)
- *Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters* (2017), Production Design
- *Fireworks* (2017), Art Designer
- *Ajin: Demi-Human – Collide* (2016), Production Design
- *Ajin: Demi-Human – Confront* (2016), Production Design
- *Ajin: Demi-Human – Compel* (2015), Production Design
- *Knights of Sidonia: The Movie* (2015), Production Design
- *Knights of Sidonia* (2014), series, Production Design
- *Arrietty* (2010), Background Designer
- *Ponyo* (2008), Assistant Art Director
- *Nasu: A Migratory Bird with Suitcase* (2007), as Art Direction
- *Howl's Moving Castle* (2004), Background Designer — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/howls-moving-castle.md)
- *Nasu: Summer in Andalusia* (2003), as Art Direction
- *The Cat Returns* (2002), as Art Direction
- *Spirited Away* (2001), Background Designer — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/spirited-away.md)
- *My Neighbors the Yamadas* (1999), as Art Direction
- *Princess Mononoke* (1997), as Art Direction — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/princess-mononoke.md)
- *Ocean Waves* (1993), as Art Direction
- *Porco Rosso* (1992), Background Designer — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/porco-rosso.md)
- *Only Yesterday* (1991), Background Designer

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/naoya-tanaka