Momotarō no Umiwashi
 |
| Momotarō's Sea Eagles | |
| File:Momotaro's Sea Eagles.jpg Screenshot of Momotaro | |
| 桃太郎の海鷲 (Momotarō no Umiwashi) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Propaganda, Fantasy |
| Anime | |
| Directed by | Mitsuyo Seo |
| Studio | Geijutsu Eigasha |
| Released | 25 March 1943 |
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.
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