Japan Synopsis
わんぱく王子の大蛇退治
“Ten Thousand Wonders Leap To Life!”
In this influential* cult-classic animated film based on Japanese folklore, Susano is the youngest son of Izanagi and Izanami, the heavenly couple who created the Earth. Still a young boy, Susano is devastated by the passing away of his mother. Determined to find her despite the reprimands of his father, he embarks on a journey to find his brother and his sister for spiritual guidance. *Genndy Tartakovsky identifies this film as a primary influence on the direction and design of his TV series Samurai Jack (2001–2004; 2017). Yōichi Kotabe was a character animator on the film, and used it as inspiration for the art direction of the video game The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002). Tomm Moore, director of the Oscar-nominated films The Secret of Kells (2009), Song of the Sea (2014), and Wolfwalkers (2020), has identified the film as a major influence.
The 1962–1964 Japan Window
58 Japan films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon sits at position #24.
Titles With Overlapping Themes
Films and series that share thematic tags with The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon. Number on each card indicates how many keywords overlap.
Other Titles From Toei Animation
The 1960s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1960s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon premiered. 202 total titles in this decade from Japan.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #2,270 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (50th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Among Japan Animation productions specifically: #1,543 of 2,532 (top 61%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Toei Animation |
| Runtime | 1h 26m |
| Release Date | March 24, 1963 |
| IMDb | tt0057669 |
| Official Site | lineup.toei-anim.co.jp |