Nippon Animation
In 1975, Zuiyo Eizo was split into two entities: Zuiyo, which absorbed the debt and the rights to the "Heidi" anime, and Nippon Animation, which was essentially Zuiyo Eizo's production staff (including Miyazaki and Takahata). Officially, Nippon Animation Co., Ltd. was established on 3 June 1975 by company president Kōichi Motohashi. The newly rechristened Nippon Animation found success right away with "Maya the Bee" and "A Dog of Flanders" (both of which began as Zuiyo Eizo productions), which became the first entry in the World Masterpiece Theater series to be produced under the Nippon Animation name. Hayao Miyazaki left Nippon Animation in 1979 in the middle of the production of "Anne of Green Gables" to make the "Lupin III" feature "The Castle of Cagliostro".