Taiji Yabushita，Along with Kenzô Masaoka and Sanae Yamamoto, Yabushita (at the beginning of his career credited as "Yasushi Yabushita") was a pioneer of Japanese animation. After World War II, he changed his work from animator and inbetweener to producer and director. In 1949, he co-directed his most famous short film, "The Animals Play Baseball.