Momotaro, Sacred Sailors

Momotaro: Sacred Sailors (桃太郎 海の神兵, Momotarō: Umi no Shinpei) is the first Japanese feature-length animated film. It was directed by Mitsuyo Seo, who was ordered to make a propaganda film for World War II by the Japanese Naval Ministry. Shochiku Moving Picture Laboratory shot the 74-minute film in 1944 and screened it on 12 April 1945. It is a sequel to Momotarō no Umiwashi, a 37-minute film released in 1943 by the same director and also starring the traditional Momotarō character. In English, the film is sometimes referred to as Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors.