Interest Stacks

Jim is working as an innkeeper, together with his friend, the mouse Gran. One day, a mysterious man visits the inn, leaving a map behind. The map shows an island with a treasure. So the duo sets off in their own little boat, trying to fulfil their dreams and leaving the inn far behind. But it seems more people knows of the map, as they cross paths with Captain Silver and his band of wild pirates. Jim, Gran and their new friend Kathy tries to beat them in the treasure hunt that ensues. (Source ANN)

Pero, a sword-wielding cat-in-boots sentenced to death for sparing a mouse, escapes his execution and embarks on a journey. Along the way, he teams up with a company of bandit mice and Pierre, a gentle orphan who has been cheated out of his inheritance. When Pero learns that Princess Rose is seeking a husband, he becomes determined to make sure that Pierre is the one chosen. However, Princess Rose is forcibly betrothed to the wicked ogre Lucifer! Pero begins to spin a web of lies to enthrall Rose with Pierre, but Pero's boasts are far from the truth. Pierre has to keep up with Pero's bold image of him but is frightened, because while Princess Rose is charming, loving her means going against the Devil's wishes. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Once upon a time, near the ruins of an old castle, there lived the King of Cats. He was famous for his violent temper and now he is lashing out at his three gunmen, who had been ordered to bring back Pero, but had returned empty-handed. Pero, a former subject of the angry King, had lived in Cat Country once but he had dared to save a mouse from death. Now, as everyone knows, the mouse is the mortal enemy of all cats, so the King orders his three gunmen to go to the ends of the earth, if necessary, to find Pero. Pero is a happy-go-lucky sort of feline and very hip for a cat. Fleeing from the wrath of the King, he decides to seek his fortune in the wild and wooly west. On the way, he encounters the King’s gunmen hot on his trail but he foils them and blithely goes on his way. On the stagecoach to Go Go Town, he meets Annie, a pretty girl who is returning after finishing her education in the East, and Jimmy, a boy with sleepy eyes and slow movements. They are attacked suddenly by holdups who are after the new sheriff but since he does not seem to be on the coach, they ride off. Sad news awaits Annie in town. Her father had been killed by the Big Bad Boss for finding out about the bogus money he was making to get rich fast. The Big Bad Boss also kills each new sheriff who arrives to keep law and order in town. He is determined to keep the whole place under his thumb. The Big Bad Boss tries to scare Annie into leaving town but she is her father’s daughter and cannot be frightened away by threats. With the help of Pero and Jimmy, she opens a restaurant in the building her father owned. Once again, Pero happens to save a little Indian mouse caught in a trap. The little mouse’s father, the Chieftain of the Indian mice, promises to help Pero and Annie. The sleepy-eyed Jimmy is really the new sheriff. They all join forces and expose the Big Boss’ villainy and his secret bogus money factory. The Big Bad Boss gets his comeuppance and all ends well. (Source: Toei Animation)

Brave cat Pero once had a bet with treacherous multimillionarie Grumon that he can travel around the world in 80 days. The stake is high, in case of success Grumon will give all of his fortune to Pero, but in case of failure Pero becomes slave of Grumon for the rest of his life. Pero departs together with his faithful friends behemoth Kato and brave Small Mouse. Grumon tries everything to prevent their arrival to the finish. (Source: AniDB)

An old fairy tale gets some new wrinkles in this fanciful animated adaptation. After young Jack is conned into trading his family's prize cow for a handful of beans, he plants them and discovers they produce a magical vine that rises through the clouds. Climbing the beanstalk, Jack encounters a strange and remarkable world ruled by the magical Princess Margaret. The princess is in love with Prince Tulip despite his unattractive features and harsh personality, but as it turns out, this is the work of Madam Noir, an evil witch who has cast a spell on the princess so she will marry Tulip, her only son. Can Jack help the princess avoid this awful fate? Directed by Japanese animator Gisaburo Sugii, this free adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk has won a cult following for its fanciful story and wildly colorful design.

Horus is a boy that one day, hunted by silver wolves, found the sword of the sun. The day his father died he left his home to find the people from the town his father told him. Together with a small bear named Koro he starts the journey and runs into a great adventure fighting against Grunwald and his subordinates who want to rule the world. (Source: AniDB)

Chirin, a newborn lamb, and his mother live a peaceful life in a meadow. As long as they stay inside the fence that protects them and the rest of the flock, they are free to frolic and graze on the delicious clover leaves. However, their idyllic life is shattered when a wolf named Wor attacks them in the dead of night, killing Chirin's mother. Struggling to process his mother's death, Chirin swears to become a wolf himself in order to avenge his mother, unaware of what this transformation would cost him. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Anju and Zushioumaru live a peaceful life in rural Japan with their kind and gentle father—the steward of the emperor's hunting grounds who teaches his children to respect nature and protect animals. The local lord frames him for burning the hunting grounds; Anju and Zushioumaru, along with their mother and a few animals, escape to Kyoto to ask the emperor to pardon their father. However, Anju and Zushioumaru are separated from their mother and sold into slavery after being tricked into boarding the wrong boat. Their cruel master forces them to perform extreme acts of hard labor under the threat of torture. Fortunately, Saburou—their master's son—is sympathetic to their plight. The siblings wield no weapons and constantly fear the punishment for unobedient slaves. Under these unfortunate circumstances, they must desperately work to regain the happiness they once had. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

A film produced for Toei's 20th anniversary. A boy who is the descendant of the leader of the theives who met a grisly fate in the 1001 Nights bands together with 38 cats and a mouse to get back his rightful treasure from Ali Baba XXXIII, the descendent of Ali Baba who now rules the kingdom with an iron fist. This is a reversal of the good guy/bad guy roles in the original story! (perhaps not surprising for being a film in which Hayao Miyazaki was involved) This film is one of the most rollicking and action-packed films made by Toei, and is in an outrageously cartoonish style breaking with the Toei mold. It has a spectacular lineup of animators including Yasuji Mori, Akira Daikubara, Hayao Miyazaki, Yoichi Kotabe and Reiko Okuyama. The original story about Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves itself is recounted at one point in the film in an unexpected and interesting way using shadow-puppets. (Source: pelleas.net)

Patterned after Japanese art and silk screens, Taro, The Dragon Boy is an animated feature about Japanese mythology and cultures, focusing on Taro, a young boy who has to make a voyage to a distant lake to save his mother, who has been turned into a dragon.

Panda Kopanda (Panda! Go Panda!) is a 30 minute movie made in 1972. Miyazaki created the original idea, the script, the layouts, and did key animation, and Takahata directed the film. The story is about a little girl, Mimiko, who was left alone while her Grandma was away. A 1973 sequel, Panda Kopanda: Amefuri Saakasu no Maki (Panda! Go Panda! & the Rainy-day Circus), continues the story and was made by the same people who made the first movie. The literal translation of the title Panda Kopanda is "Panda, Baby Panda", but it`s been released in North America as Panda Go Panda. (Source: AniDB)

Panda no Daibouken, a 1973 Toei Animation production aimed at children, follows the adventures of a young panda. Being born into royalty but having failed a rite of passage, the young Panda is exiled from his land. He goes on a journey of self discovery, meeting many friends along the way who help him discover his true potential. [Written by Ellert0]

Susanoo, the youngest child of the creation gods Izanagi and Izanami, is a mighty warrior, easily able to defeat tigers with his bare hands. After his mother dies, Susanoo is devastated. Determined to travel to Heaven to find her, he carves a boat out of a tree, and along with his rabbit companion, Akahana, he prepares to cross the ocean. As Susanoo does not know how to reach Heaven, he first visits his brother, Tsukuyomi, leader of the Night Kingdom, and his sister, Amaterasu, leader of the Light Kingdom. While his siblings can warn Susanoo of the dangers he faces, they are unable to stop him or provide him with the directions to Heaven. As Susanoo continues his journey to the ends of the Earth, Orochi, an eight-headed dragon, awakens to stand in Susanoo's path. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Marina, the most beautiful mermaid in the royal Merman family, is curious about the human world. One day, she sees a handsome prince on a boat. Suddenly, a storm comes up, throwing him into the sea. Marina saves her handsome prince and guides him to the shore. Marina falls deeply in love and desperately wants to become a human. Despite the hazards, she is willing to risk it all for love. (Source: ANN)

"Kin No Tori" is an adaptation of the homonymous fairy tale "The Golden Bird" by Brothers Grimm. A golden apple is stolen from the King's garden. The King orders his three sons to guard the apples in turn and to find out who is the thief. When the youngest son, Hansu, presents a feather that he got from the golden bird that stole the apple the king sends his three sons to bring this bird to him and so Hansu journey begins. Completed in 1984, this film was shelved for three years before being theatrically released.

Jack is a boy who lives with his animal friends Barnaby Bear, Dinah Dog, Squeeker Mouse and Phineas Fox. He's challenged to a race with Allegra, who turns out to be a witch. She takes Jack to the queen witch, Auriana. She plans on turning all her slaves into evil harpies.

Upon a mountain, a monkey is born from stone—nameless, parentless, and friendless. That is, until one day, he encounters a young female monkey named RinRin, who offers to be his friend. Through RinRin's encouragement, he becomes king after a test of bravery; however, his personality sours. When RinRin tells him that humans are the most intelligent creatures on Earth, the monkey vows to become smarter than them. He leaves RinRin behind and trains with a mountain hermit who gives him the name Son-Goku. Following Goku's imprisonment for using his newfound powers to steal a celestial fruit from heaven, he is rescued by a monk. In exchange, he is asked to accompany the monk on a journey to India. This journey will prove to be yet another challenge for the monkey to overcome. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

The story concerns Gauche, a professional cellist. During rehearsals for a performance, he is scolded by the conductor because his playing is not good enough. His timing is off and he seems to have no "feel" for the music. Gauche returns to his lonely cottage and starts practicing. Then a cat enters who tricks him into understanding the inner meaning of the music. The importance of practice is shown by a cuckoo, rhythm by a badger and tenderness by a mouse. In four days he learns the true meaning and feeling of music and develops into a great musician. Laced with popular classical music this special combines fun and inspiration for all ages and audiences. (Source: AnimeNfo, edited)

The homeless dog Rock swears to take to revenge on a tiger named Killer in the zoo, who had killed his mother. The dogs in town, troubled by the atrocities of Killer, join forces to support Rock. Changing the target of revenge to the murderer of the main character's mother made it easier for kids to empathize with the character. (Source: AnimeNfo)

As a young boy, Xu-Xian is forced to free his pet, a small snake. Unbeknownst to him, the snake is actually a young snake goddess named Bai-Niang and she is in love with him. Many years later, when they are both adults, the princess is magically transformed into a human and sets out to find her love. But the local wizard believes her to be a vampire, and banishes Xu-Xian from the village in order to save him. Xu-Xian's pet pandas Panda and Mimi set out to save him and bring him, in the process becoming leaders of an animal gang. (Source: ANN)

Unico the Unicorn has the amazing power to make anyone he meets happy. Whether it's because of his personality or the powers of his horn, no one knows. However, the gods become jealous of Unico, thinking that only gods should be able to decide or let people be happy or not. Unico is banished to the Hill of Oblivion, and the West Wind is ordered to take him there. She can't stand giving this fate to an innocent like Unico, so Unico's adventures begin, as the West Wind takes him from one place and time to the next, in a neverending journey to escape the wrath of the gods. In this adventure, Unico meets Beezel a devil child and then Katy (Chao), a cat who wants to be a witch! Can he become friends with them? (Source: AniDB)

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)

Gods once lived on earth, and two siblings, Oceanus - God of Water, and Hyperia - Goddess of Fire, lived in peace and dearly loved each other. However, the God of Wind, Algaroc, become jealous of the pair's happiness, and spread lies and deceit between them until their hatred for each other brought about war. Finally, Algaroc was imprisoned by the King of Gods, but after that time, the brother and sister still despised each other, so the Children of Fire and Water forever remained apart. But, then Prince Syrius of the Water and Princess Malta of the Fire meet and fall in love. The love of Syrius and Malta may not be enough to surpass their parents' hatred. Whether they can stay together forever may be impossible (Source: AniDB)

"Magic Boy" was the first ever Japanese animation to be released theatrically in North America. Sasuke, a boy vexed by an evil witch, studies magic and uses his powers to defeat her. (Source: bcdb)

Traditionally animated movie based on a bestseller picture book by Agawa Hiroyuki, illustrated by Okabe Fuyuhiko and published in 1959 by Iwanami Shoten Publishing.

Hans Christian Andersen is a little boy with a talent for making up stories. With his skill, his friends of all species, and his positive attitude, he helps brighten the lives of the people around him. This movie contains elements of many of Andersen's tales, most prominently The Red Shoes and The Little Match Girl.

A medium long anime movie (50 minutes) released as one of the programs of 'Toei Manga Festival', and screened with a live-action film "Kamen Rider vs. Ambassador Hell" and others. A near-future Sci-Fi mecha action film featuring four cyborg dogs. An original story based on the concept from Hiroshi Sasagawa's manga "Maken Goro" (serialized in the magazine "Weekly Shonen King" in 1963). A boy named Tsutomu and four cyborg dogs (Queen, Ace, Jack and Joker who coalesce and transform into the spaceship "Liner") fight against aggression by insect-type aliens from the Planet Devil. Directed by Takeshi Tamiya. Music by Takeo Yamashita. (Source: AsianDVDClub)

Giovanni is a young boy who lives on the outskirts of a small rustic village. His mother is bedridden and his father has not returned home since leaving to work on a fishing boat. An outcast at school, Giovanni has only one friend: Campanella, the mayor's son. During the town's Festival of Stars, Giovanni starts to daydream atop a hill and looks up to find a steam engine train floating in the air. He boards the train only to find his friend Campanella already there. And so, the two begin their journey through the stars where they come across unusual people and visit many beautiful and haunting places. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Mike is a penguin soldier who returns home after being injured during combat. Estranged from his family and friends, he leaves his hometown and starts to roam adrift through the country. (Source: ANN)

The story is a mystery about a green cat and a private detective who investigates where it came from. The cat was thought to be good luck, but eventually brought misfortune to all those who come in contact. The story was taken directly from the 5th subtitle of the 1950s Lion Books manga.

After having lost his parents, Yamatarou, a bear, is raised by a man. Yamatarou's friend is Shi-roku, a steam locomotive, and Yamatarou learns to impersonate the whistle of the locomotive. This is a story for nursery school kids about the friendship between the bear and the steam locomotive. The quality pictures render a sense of warmth to the reader. (Source: ANN)

The kitten from Yasuji Mori's earlier Koneko no Rakugaki returns, this time putting his talents toward directing a samurai film starring his mouse friends.

Yasuji Mori's short about a kitten drawing pictures on a wall.

Based on "Unico and the Kingdom of the Sun," which was newly written as a theater version, this animated film features a battle between the wizard Kukuruku and Unico. Kukuruku builds a castle using dolls transformed from men as building parts. The story revolves around the sorrow and terror of men who have been transfigured into dolls, and a girl named Cherry who wishes to recover the kindness in her brother, who is a student of Kukuruku. This work reminds us of the fact that "transformation" or "transfiguration" - favorite themes of Tezuka Osamu - involves not only material aspects, but also man's immaterial heart. (Source: Tezuka Osamu's Website)

The Goddess Venus is jealous of the beautiful human girl Psyche and blames her pet unicorn, Unico, as Psyche's source of good luck that keeps her from the harm of the goddess' cruel intentions. Unico has the amazing power to make anyone he meets happy. Whether it's because of his personality or the powers of his horn, no one knows. Venus has Unico banished, and the West Wind now takes Unico from one place and time to the next. Taken to a heavily polluted city, Unico meets a sickly girl named Chiko who is suffering because of the pollution of a nearby factory that darkens the entire sky. Unico then is determined to cheer her up, cure her, and destroy the nearby factory. (Source: ANN)

During the holiday season, a young man encounters a drunken cat belonging to an old man in an alley. The old man has trained his three cats to sing. (Source: ANN)