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わんぱく王子の大蛇退治 / Wanpaku Ōji no Orochi Taiji 
(The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon)

100 in x of animated feature film history
Release: Mar. 24th, 1963
Country: Japan
Director: Yūgo Serikawa

“The Japanese film Wanpaku Ōji no Orochi Taiji––which literally translates to The Naughty Prince’s Orochi Slaying––is the sixth feature produced by Tōei Animation. English-dubbed versions have been released under several titles, including The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon, Prince in Wonderland and Rainbow Bridge.

The story is based on the Shintō myth of the storm god Susanoo’s battle with the snake-like Yamata no Orochi. It begins with Susanoo’s mother, Izanami, dying. He is deeply hurt by the loss of his mother, but his father Izanagi tells him that his mother is now in heaven. Despite Izanagi’s warnings, Susanoo eventually sets off to find her. Along with his companions, Akahana (a little talking rabbit) and Titan Bō (a strong but friendly giant from the Land of Fire), Susanoo overcomes all obstacles in his long voyage. He eventually comes to the Izumo Province, where he meets Princess Kushinada, a little girl whom he becomes friends with. Kushinada’s family tells Susanoo that their other seven daughters were sacrificed to the fearsome eight-headed serpent, the Yamata no Orochi. Susanoo decides to help her family protect her and slay the Orochi once and for all.

This movie eschewed the soft, rounded look of previous Tōei animated features for a more stylized one. Production cost 70 million yen, employed 180 staff members, and produced 250,000 drawing sheets. It is also one of the few animated films to have music by famed composer Akira Ifukube. The film placed 10th in the list of the 150 best animated films and series of all time compiled by Tokyo’s Laputa Animation Festival from an international survey of animation staff and critics in 2003. It features distinctively modernist, abstracted character, background, and color design; formalized the role of animation director––performed here by Yasuji Mori––in the Japanese system; and drew attention to the talents of key animators Yasuo Ōtsuka and Yōichi Kotabe.

Accolades received by Wanpaku at the time of its release, including: being honored with a Bronze Osella (at the Venice Film Festival) and the Ōfuji Noburō Award (at the 1963 Mainichi Film Awards), and making it into the official recommendations of the Japanese Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health’s Central Child Welfare Council. More recently, Genndy Tartakovsky watched the film and identifies it as a primary influence on the direction and design of his Samurai Jack.”

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A trailer for The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon is available on YouTube.

FIRST POSTED: 7/20/16

UPDATED: 3/25/18