Momotarō no Umiwashi (1943)

Original title

桃太郎の海鷲

Directed by

Mitsuyo Seo

Genre

fantasy anime and manga

Country

Japan

Runtime

37 min

Rating

6.0 of 10 from 5 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A short animated film from 1943 aimed at children. It uses the Japanese folk hero Momotaro and his animal soldiers to depict a fictionalized version of the attack on Pearl Harbor as a battle against demons.

nationalisticlight-heartedcartoonishpropagandisticwhimsicalfast-pacedsimpledatedjingoistic

What happens

Momotarō's Sea Eagles (Japanese: 桃太郎の海鷲, Hepburn: Momotarō no Umiwashi) is a Japanese animated propaganda film produced in 1942 by Geijutsu Eigasha and released on 25 March 1943. With a running time of 37 minutes, it was close to being a feature-length film. A DVD version without English subtitles was released in Japan by the bookstore chain Kinokuniya Shoten in 2004; a version with English subtitles was released in the United States by Zakka Films in 2009. Although recorded as being produced with the cooperation of the Japanese Naval Ministry, there was in fact no such cooperation (due to concerns about official military secrets). However, the Japanese Imperial Navy did endorse the film . Featuring the "Peach Boy" character of Japanese folklore, the film was aimed at children, and tells the story of a naval unit consisting of the young boy Momotarō and several animal species representing the Far Eastern races fighting together for a common goal. In a dramatization of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the force attacks the demons at the appropriately named island of Onigashima ('Demon Island', which represents the British and American military). The film also utilizes actual footage of the Pearl Harbor attack. A sequel, Momotaro: Sacred Sailors, was released in 1945, which was the first full-length Japanese animated film. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

• Momotaro: Sacred Sailors (1945)
• Momotaro under the Sea (1932)
• Take Heed Mr. Tojo (1943)
• Momotaro (1918)
• The Quack Infantry Troop (1940)
• Our Enemy — The Japanese (1943)
• Reason and Emotion (1943)
• Miss Hanako (1943)