Japan Synopsis
桃太郎 海の神兵
The first Japanese feature-length animated film. It was directed by Mitsuyo Seo, who was ordered to make a propaganda film for the war by the Japanese Naval Ministry. Shochiku Moving Picture Laboratory shot the 74-minute film in 1944 and screened it on April 12, 1945. It is a sequel to Momotarō no Umiwashi, a 37-minute film released in 1943 by the same director. It is black and white. The whole movie also depicts the Japanese "liberation of Asia", as proclaimed by the Government at the time. Seo tried to give dreams to children, as well as to instill the hope for peace, with hidden movie's hints of dreams and hopes, under the appearance of war propaganda.
The 1944–1946 Japan Window
6 Japan films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors sits at position #6.
#1Utamaro and His Five Women
★ 7.2 · 1946
#2No Regrets for Our Youth
★ 6.8 · 1946
#3Sanshiro Sugata Part Two
★ 6.2 · 1945
#4The Sword
★ 5.8 · 1945
#5The Most Beautiful
★ 5.6 · 1944
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#6Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors
★ 4.1 · 1945
Other Titles From Shochiku
The 1940s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1940s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors premiered. 20 total titles in this decade from Japan.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #4,556 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (1st percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is -2.8 points below the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Animation productions specifically: #2,526 of 2,532 (top 100%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Shochiku |
| Runtime | 1h 14m |
| Release Date | March 12, 1945 |
| IMDb | tt0142666 |