Underplayed Gems

Momotaro: Sacred Sailors (1945)

Momotaro: Sacred Sailors poster
Original title
桃太郎 海の神兵
Directed by
Mitsuyo Seo
Genre
animation, action, Action
Country
Japan
Runtime
1h 14m
Rated
PG-13
Rating
4.7 of 10 from 17 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More films like this

How it feels

The film is a Japanese wartime propaganda piece. It uses the folk hero Momotaro and his animal crew to tell a story meant to support the war effort. The characters go on a mission that is portrayed as noble and necessary.

propagandisticpatrioticlightheartedsimplewhimsicaldatedinstructional

What happens

Momotaro: Sacred Sailors (桃太郎 海の神兵, Momotarō: Umi no Shinpei) is the first Japanese feature-length animated film. It was directed by Mitsuyo Seo, who was ordered to make a propaganda film for World War II by the Japanese Naval Ministry. Shochiku Moving Picture Laboratory shot the 74-minute film in 1944 and screened it on 12 April 1945. It is a sequel to Momotarō no Umiwashi, a 37-minute film released in 1943 by the same director and also starring the traditional Momotarō character. In English, the film is sometimes referred to as Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.