太陽の王子 ホルスの大冒険 / Taiyō no Ōji Horusu no Daibōken
(The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun)
143 in x of animated feature film history
Release: Jul. 21st, 1968
Country: Japan
Director: Isao Takahata
“The directorial debut of Isao Takahata, Horus marked the beginning of the partnership between Takahata and famed animator/director Hayao Miyazaki that would last for the next 50 years across numerous animation studios.
The film opens with the young Horus fighting off a pack of silver wolves and accidentally waking up an ancient stone giant. Horus pulls a splinter from the giant’s shoulder, which turns out to be a the ancient ‘Sword of the Sun.’ On his deathbed, Horus’s father reveals that their family came from a northern seaside village, which was devastated by the terrifying ice devil Grunwald. Horus’s father urges his son to return to the land of his birth.
After a long journey, Horus arrives at a nearby village, and soon becomes a heroic figure when he kills an enormous fish under Grunwald’s command. In a deserted town, Horus meets a mysterious young girl named Hilda. Horus takes Hilda back to his village, where her beautiful singing is welcomed by the villagers, with the exception of the chief and his deputy, who are increasingly resentful of Horus’ popularity. The deputy frames Horus for his own failed attempt to assassinate the chief, and the villagers banish Horus.
Horus sets out in search of Grunwald, but is confronted by Hilda, who reveals she is actually Grunwald’s sister and reluctantly attacks Horus. He eventually rejoins the villagers in their battle against Grunwald, and together they reforge the Sword of the Sun. With the stone giant and a reformed Hilda, Horus defeats Grunwald and brings peace to the village.
The story of Horus is based on the puppet play The Sun Above Chikisani, created by screenwriter Kazuo Fukazawa, which in turn is a reinterpretation of an epic the oral traditions of the Ainu people, the indigenous people of the island of Hokkaido (part of modern Japan).
In addition to Takahata and Miyazaki, the core production team included Yasuo Otsuka (Animation Director), Yasuji Mori, Reiko Okuyama, Yoichi Kotabe, Akemi Ota, Masatake Kita, and Sadao Kikuchi (Key Animation). At the time, Miyazaki was simply a in-between animator at Toei Doga, but his talent bought him to the attention of Setsuyo Matoba, who was the production supervisor. In order to find a role for Miyazaki, a ‘chief animator and concept artist’ role was specially invented.
Production on Horus started in late 1965 but, due to the perfectionism of the creators, was not completed until 1968. At the time, other feature-length animated films at Toei were made in approximately 8–10 months, and focus at the company was shifting towards production of television animation. Takahata and Ōtsuka approached the process in an egalitarian manner and invited input from the entire team for story board and planning meetings, a method which opened the door for Miyazaki to contribute significantly to the development of the story and animation.
Horus introduced a number of technical and stylistic innovations, and established a new paradigm of Japanese animation: adult storytelling, psychological realism, visual complexity, overt political and social themes, and stylistic violence. Unsuccessful in its brief 1968 theatrical run––despite critical success––Horus is today recognized as a milestone in the history of anime. In 2001, the Japanese magazine Animage elected Horus the third best anime production of all time.
The movie was released straight to television in the United States by AIP-TV under the title The Little Norse Prince.”
Horus is available online here, and is available for purchase on Amazon.
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