Morita Hiroyuki was born in 1964 in Fukuoka. After university studies, he made his debut in animation with Sous le soleil. He then participated in the production of cartoons such as Akira, Kiki or Perfect Blue. He made his debut as a director with Golden Boy in 1996. He joined Ghibli studios and participated in the production of key drawings for My neighbors the Yamadas and La Grande Ballade de Koro. In 2002, The Cats Returns was his first production for the cinema. Since then, he has been a key animator on many cartoons.