is an animated Japanese

propaganda film A propaganda film is a film that involves some form of propaganda. Propaganda films spread and promote certain ideas that are usually religious, political, or cultural in nature. A propaganda film is made with the intent that the viewer will ad ...

produced in 1942 by Geijutsu Eigasha and released March 25, 1943. Running at 37 minutes, it was close to being

feature-length A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

, but it was not the first animated feature film in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

; that honor goes to China's 1941 ''

Princess Iron Fan Princess Iron Fan () is a character from the 16th century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West''. She is the wife of the Bull Demon King and mother of Red Boy. She is one of the most popular ''Journey to the West'' villains, alongside her husband ...

'', which was 73 minutes long. A DVD version without English subtitles was released in Japan by Kinokuniya Shoten in 2004; one with 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 cooperation in order to protect military secrets, although the Japanese Imperial Navy endorsed the film. Featuring the " Peach Boy" character of Japanese folklore, this film was aimed at children, telling the story of a naval unit consisting of the human 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 attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

, this force attacks the demons at the island of

Onigashima is an island located in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan, north of the city of Takamatsu, and is part of Kagawa Prefecture. It has an area of 2.66 km2, a coastline of 8.9 km, and a population of about 200. Megijima is a popular destination ...

(representing the Americans and British demonized in Japanese propaganda), and the film also utilizes actual footage of the Pearl Harbor attack. A sequel, '' Momotarō Umi no Shinpei'', was released in 1945, becoming the first full-length Japanese animated film.

Plot summary

The video opens aboard an aircraft carrier on tumultuous waters, with squadrons of monkeys, pheasants, and dogs prepping their planes for war. These animals are not the perfect soldiers; they act silly, giving them a very human feel. At the center stands Momotaro, stoic and heroic, giving orders. The animals board their planes and take into the sky. The flight to Hawaii is uninterrupted save for a monkey helping a lost baby bird find its parent. The animals arrive and the attack begins. The soldiers aboard the ships docked in

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...

panic and scramble, trying to flee; evidenced by a copious amount of bottles lying around, some are too drunk to move or think properly. The main soldier shown is dumb, fat, and cowardly. Momotaro-Kobunsha-1885-insidecover

The attack continues, some monkeys go on land to destroy American planes. The main American soldier literally shakes the red and blue off the American flag to wave it as a

white flag White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale. Contemporary use The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and for negotiation. It is also used to symbolize ...

of surrender. Pearl Harbor is left in smoking ruins as the animals return to the aircraft carrier to celebrate.

Momotaro's Sea Eagles as Propaganda

The Japanese government used Momotaro as the hero because that story was and continues to be as well-known to Japanese citizens as "

The Three Little Pigs "The Three Little Pigs" is a fable about three pigs who build three houses of different materials. A Big Bad Wolf blows down the first two pigs' houses which made of straw and sticks respectively, but is unable to destroy the third pig's house t ...

" is to Americans. In the film, Momotaro and the animals were cute and already known as heroic characters, and the "pretty characters and comical battle scenes enabled Japanese citizens to watch a war movie without hesitation". In other words, the film was entertaining to the masses. In addition, the original story has Momotaro and his companions traveling to a demon-inhabited island, which this film replaced with the American-infested Hawaii, creating an easy link between foreigners and evil creatures. Between 1942 and 1945, "national policy films" (AKA propaganda films) took up a large percentage of the Japanese cinema. ''Momotaro's Sea Eagles'' was an extremely successful example of this; it was especially popular among young children. The 37-minute film was so popular, in fact, that Seo made a 74-minute sequel, ''

Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors 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 a ...

'', which debuted in 1945. The cute and entertaining movie in which there are no shown fatalities gave the war a soft, righteous cause feel to the citizens in the audience.

Trivia

Bluto Bluto, at times known as Brutus, is a cartoon and comics character created in 1932 by Elzie Crisler Segar as a one-time character, named "Bluto the Terrible", in his ''Thimble Theatre'' comic strip (later renamed ''Popeye''). Bluto made his fi ...

, from the Popeye cartoons being produced in America at the time, makes an appearance in this film as a stereotypical drunk. This is one of few examples of the Axis nations using American cartoon characters to portray the United States in animated films, just as the Allied forces used Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito, as well as Nazis and Japanese soldiers in their propaganda films.

References

External links

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Stills from the movie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Momotaro no Umiwashi 1943 anime films Fantasy anime and manga Japanese World War II propaganda films 1940s animated short films Anime short films Films directed by Mitsuyo Seo Japanese black-and-white films