Momotaro's Sea Eagles

Infobox animanga/Header
name = Momotarō's Sea Eagles


caption = Screenshot of Momotaro
ja_name = 桃太郎の海鷲
ja_name_trans = Momotarō no Umiwashi
genre = Propaganda, FantasyInfobox animanga/Movie
director = Mitsuyo Seo
studio = Geijutsu Eigasha
released = 25 March 1943
runtime = 37 minutes

nihongo|"Momotarō's Sea Eagles"|桃太郎の海鷲|Momotarō no Umiwashi is an animated Japanese propaganda film produced in 1942 by Geijutsu Eigasha and released March 25, 1943. Running at 37 minutes, it was close to being feature-length but it was not the first animated feature film in Asia - that honour goes to China's 1941 "Princess Iron Fan", which was 65 minutes long (see: List of animated feature films).

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 Navy endorsed it.

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, this force attacks the demons at the island of Onigashima (representing the Americans and British demonized in Japanese propaganda), and the film also utilizes actual footage of the Pearl Harbor attack. A sequel, "Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors" (1945) also exists. Running at 74 minutes, it is credited as being Japan's first feature-length animated film.

External links

*imdb title|id=0420783|title=Momotaro's Sea Eagles
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=5006 Entry at Anime News Network.com]
* [http://www.tanken.com/momo.html Stills from the movie]