Momotarou: Umi no Shinpei
English title: Momotaro: Sacred Sailors
Japanese title: 桃太郎 海の神兵
Alternative titles: Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors, Momotarou: Divine Soldiers of the Sea
Type: Movie
Source: Original
Episodes: 1
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 12, 1945
Duration: 1 hr 15 min
Rating: G - All Ages
Studios: Shochiku Animation Institute
Producers: Shochiku, Ministry of the Navy
Licensors: Funimation
Genres: Action
Themes: Military

A monkey, a dog, a pheasant, and a bear travel southward after resting in their villages at the foot of Mt. Fuji. A squadron flies to Onigashima under the command of Momotarou. Parachutes blossom in the sky. Momotarou and company will take over the island after a swift and successful mission. The village children pretend parachuting with glee as they run towards Mt. Fuji.

(Source: Imagica)

Momotarou: Umi no Shinpei is a war propaganda movie considered to be Japan's first feature-length animation work. It was produced with funding of 270,000 yen from the Ministry of the Navy. The movie was considered lost following the end of World War II, but its negatives were rediscovered in 1982. Shochiku's digital restoration of the film was screened at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.