It is always a fascinating conundrum for me to look at early Japanese films, because there are so many differences from the way their American equivalents would be done. Technically, this is much more elaborately drawn and backgrounded than an American cartoon would be in the era, but the animation is not as sophisticated: the characters don't seem to be as fully articulated as American animators would make them, As for the story itself, it seems to be a Japanese fairy tale or perhaps children's fantasy, just the sort of thing that American animators would turn their hands to when feeling ambitious. But the details are at once fascinating and confusing. Momotaro, the hero of the story, is born out of a giant peach his foster mother finds floating on the river. Is this any odder than, say, the origin of Thumbelina? No, indeed, But even so, I cannot but help and wonder: why a Peach? Well, someday I may find out. In the meantime, this is a fascinating glimpse into the early roots of Japanese animation and the folks at Digital Meme are to be commended for making it available on DVD.
2 Reviews
A well-told version of the classic tale...and it's kid-friendly to boot!
planktonrules24 July 2020
I recently discovered a website filled with very old Japanese cartoons which have been restored and given English subtitles. Japanese Animated Film Classics has several dozen old cartoons (many from the silent era) and is well worth seeing.
"Nihonichi Momotaro" is a retelling of the very familiar Japanese fairy tale of 'Momotaro'....a boy who was born out of a giant peach and went on to become a great hero.
The story begins with an old woman finding a giant peach floating down the river. She somehow drags it home and soon a chubby baby pops out of the peach! The child grows and soon leaves home in search of adventure. Along the way, he teams up with a dog, cat and a pheasant and the four make their way to the island filled with evil Oni (Ogres). After a battle, Momotaro and his friends are victorious...and it's a bit reminiscent of the western tale, "Jack and the Beanstalk".
I liked this story for many reasons. The animation quality is pretty good for 1928 and it manages to tell the entire story of Momotaro quite well. It also is quite child-friendly (unlike quite a few cartoons from the same website). It certainly could have been more violent and bloody yet avoided this...thankfully.
"Nihonichi Momotaro" is a retelling of the very familiar Japanese fairy tale of 'Momotaro'....a boy who was born out of a giant peach and went on to become a great hero.
The story begins with an old woman finding a giant peach floating down the river. She somehow drags it home and soon a chubby baby pops out of the peach! The child grows and soon leaves home in search of adventure. Along the way, he teams up with a dog, cat and a pheasant and the four make their way to the island filled with evil Oni (Ogres). After a battle, Momotaro and his friends are victorious...and it's a bit reminiscent of the western tale, "Jack and the Beanstalk".
I liked this story for many reasons. The animation quality is pretty good for 1928 and it manages to tell the entire story of Momotaro quite well. It also is quite child-friendly (unlike quite a few cartoons from the same website). It certainly could have been more violent and bloody yet avoided this...thankfully.
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