A brief history of anime and Japanese animation 1945-1970

Following the success of Disney’s 1937 films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Japanese domestic anime market faced severe pressure from foreign filmmakers. Early pioneers such as Yasuji Murata and Noburo Ofuji were masters of cutout animation, but found it difficult to compete with the quality of foreign-imported animation. With significant profits invested in new technology, Disney took the initiative and introduced sound using cel animation.

Nonetheless, animators, with increased support from the Japanese government, began to improve quality and technology adopted by animators such as Mitsuyo Seo and Kenzo Masaoka through the production of prewar propaganda films. Following the introduction of the Film Law in 1939, local animators received further support. The law emphasized cultural nationalism and promoted documentary and educational films.

With the support of the government and the Navy, Japan’s first true feature-length animation was produced. Momotaro’s Sacred Sea Warrior, produced by Shochiku Studio and animated by Mitsuyo Seo, was released in 1945. However, it took another 13 years for Toei Animation to release its first color full-length anime, the 1958 movie The Tale of the White Serpent. .. The general tone of White Snake Den is more Disney than modern anime with animal companions and musical numbers, but is widely quoted as the first “real” anime.

Following the movie release in the United States, Toei continued to develop and produce Disney-like movies under the titles of Panda and Magic Snake, and also challenged anime series such as Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and Digimon. Toei’s contribution to contemporary anime was to focus on the animator’s own ideas during the production process. This style of production leads to Isao Takahata’s 1968 movie The Great Adventure of Horus. This shows a change in style from what is considered a “normal” anime.

Another major contribution of Toei was the introduction of “money shot” animation. This style of animation was developed to reduce production costs while focusing on key frames in the film. The body of the animation is produced with limited animation, and details are used in important parts of the cell. Toei animator Yasuo Otsuka has further developed this style of production.

In the 1960s, Tezuka Osamu launched Mushi Production as a rival studio for Toei Animation. With the release of Mighty Atom in 1963, it became both the studio’s first hit and Japan’s first popular anime series. Astro Boy’s great success opened up overseas markets. A fledgling American television looking for content and programming adapted Atom to the US market in 1964 and renamed it Astro Boy. Shortly thereafter, Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s super robot anime “Tetsujin 28-go” was released in the United States as Tetsujin 28-go.