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Toei Animation
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Foundation date 23 january 1948
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. (東映アニメーション株式会社, Tōei Animēshon Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese animation studio in which Toei Company, Ltd. is the biggest shareholder. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films (日本動画映画, Nihon Dōga Eiga, often shortened to 日動映画 (Nichidō Eiga)). In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name. Over the years, the studio has created a large number of TV series, movies, and adapted many Japanese comics by renowned authors to animated series, many popular worldwide. Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Leiji Matsumoto and Yoichi Kotabe have all worked with the company in the past. Toei is a shareholder in the Japanese anime satellite television network, Animax, along with other noted anime studios and production enterprises such as Sunrise, TMS Entertainment and Nihon Ad Systems Inc. The company headquarters are located in the Ohizumi Studio in Nerima, Tokyo.
Until 1998, the company was known as Toei Doga (東映動画株式会社, Tōei Dōga Kabushiki-gaisha) (although even at that time the company's formal English name was "Toei Animation Co., Ltd."), with "dōga" being the native Japanese word for "animation" which was widely used until the 1970s. Their mascot is the cat Pero, from the company's 1969 film adaptation of Puss in Boots.
Toei Animation produced the anime versions of works by many legendary manga artists, including Go Nagai (Mazinger Z), Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Shotaro Ishinomori (Cyborg 009), Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro (Toriko), Takehiko Inoue (Slam Dunk), Mitsuteru Yokoyama (Sally the Witch), Masami Kurumada (Saint Seiya), Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump), Leiji Matsumoto (Galaxy Express 999), and Naoko Takeuchi (Sailor Moon). In addition, the studio helped propel the popularity of the magical girl and Super Robot genres of anime; among Toei's most legendary and trend-setting TV series include the first magical-girl anime series, Mahoutsukai Sally the anime adaptation of Mitsuteru Yokoyama's manga of the same name, and Go Nagai's Mazinger Z, animated adaptation of his manga, which set the standard for Super Robot anime for years to come.
Although Toei Company usually lets Toei Animation handle its official animation works, on occasion they may hire other companies to provide animation on their behalf, such as the Robot Romance Trilogy in which Toei Company handled the overall production, but the animation work went to Sunrise (then known as Nippon Sunrise) instead.
Anime created by Toei Animation that have won the Animage Anime Grand Prix award have been Galaxy Express 999 in 1981, Saint Seiya in 1987, and Sailor Moon in 1992.
In addition to producing anime for domestic release in Japan, Toei Animation also provided animation work for several American box office motion pictures and television series for US companies, dating back as far as the 1960s, but they mostly provided outsourced production work during the 1980s.
Best films
(2013)
(1993)
(1984)Filmography of Toei Animation (100 films)
Production
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, 35minutesOrigin Japon
Genres Science fiction, Fantastic, Action, Adventure, Animation
Themes Films based on mythology, Sports films, Martial arts films
Actors Masakazu Morita, Ryō Horikawa, Masako Nozawa, Takeshi Kusao, Naoko Watanabe, Toshio Furukawa
Two years after the defeat of Majin Boo, Mr. Satan finally finishes construction on his brand new hotel. Feeling guilty that the hotel is in honor of what the majority of Earth believes to be his defeat of Boo, he invites all of the characters and their families to a banquet. Goku and Vegeta decide to spar, as they have dressed in their usual fighting outfits. Shortly after dinner, two Saiyan spaceships land just outside of town, and a mysterious Saiyan and his wife confront the heroes at the hotel. They are revealed to be Vegeta's younger brother, Tarble, who had been deemed too weak to fight in the past and was sent to a distant star before the destruction of Planet Vegeta, and his wife Gure, who is a small, cartoon-like alien. Tarble asks his brother for help in dealing with Abo and Kado, soldiers who are remnants of Freeza's army, who are causing havoc on his planet. Goku and Vegeta argue over who will fight the brothers. Even their sons and friends offer to join in, but so many fighting two people seems unfair, so Goku comes up with an idea to solve the issue.
Clannad: The Motion Picture (2007)
, 1h30Directed by Osamu Dezaki
Genres Drama, Animation, Romance
Themes Films based on video games
Actors Kenji Nojima, Mai Nakahara, Ryō Hirohashi, Ryōtarō Okiayu, Kikuko Inoue, Houko Kuwashima
Tomoya Okazaki is a male third-year high school student who does not feel at home anymore. He used to play basketball, his distant father works the night shift, and his mother died in an accident when he was a child. He simply goes to school in Hikarizara for no reason and does not have any interest in school activities. One day, Tomoya meets a third-year girl from his school early in the year named Nagisa Furukawa. Nagisa is repeating her last year due to illness most of the previous year, and she does not know what to do. Tomoya suggests she finds something new to do at school, and she comes up with restarting the Drama Club. By the time the sakura trees are done blooming, Nagisa has already started hand-making posters advertising the drama club's reformation, with an old group mascot called "The Big Dango Family". Tomoya, and his good friend Youhei Sunohara who used to play soccer, help Nagisa with putting them up around the school, but the student council president, Tomoyo Sakagami, and Kyou Fujibayashi, quickly goes around; uses red paint to deface the posters and write 'invalid' on them because of school policy. This angers Youhei greatly and he beats up one of the student council members despite Tomoyo's and Kyou's warning; Tomoya also takes a stand for Nagisa.
, 1h30Genres Drama, Comedy, Action, Adventure, Animation
Actors Mayumi Tanaka, Kazuya Nakai, Kappei Yamaguchi, Akemi Okamura, Kazuki Yao, Ikue Ōtani
The film opens with Nefeltari Vivi flying with Pell in a brief flashback. Returning to the present, Vivi and the Straw Hats meet Crocodile's subordinate Mr. 2 Bon Clay. Mr. 2 shows the Straw Hats his devil fruit ability, which allows him to assume the form and voice of anyone whose face he has touched. Vivi describes a brief history on how the Baroque Works leader Crocodile has used Dance Powder while posing as the country's hero. He has also tricked the rebel and royal armies into fighting each other. Once in Alabasta and after crossing the desert, the Straw Hats find the rebel's base deserted, while the rebel army, led by Vivi's childhood friend Koza, witnesses the port town Nanohana being burned by members of Baroque Works disguised as soldiers of the royal army. The rebels decide to attack Alubarna, where at the same time Mr. 2 impersonates the king, Nefeltari Cobra, and orders the royal army to engage. Meanwhile in the desert, the Straw Hats are intercepted by Crocodile and his partner, Ms. All Sunday. Crocodile aims for Vivi, but Luffy stays behind and distracts him, while the other Straw Hats escape. In the ensuing fight, Crocodile defeats Luffy by impaling him through the chest with his hook and buried alive.
Yamato (2005)
, 2h25Directed by Jun'ya Satō
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, War, Historical
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Political films
Actors Takashi Sorimachi, Nakamura Shidō II, Yu Aoi, Kenichi Matsuyama, Tatsuya Nakadai, Jyunichi Haruta
The film begins with footage from Asahi Shimbun's special expedition to the Yamato wreckage in 1999, then to a woman, Makiko Uchida, visiting the Yamato Museum in Kure, Hiroshima on 6 April 2005. She is looking for a boat to take her to the site where the Yamato sank, to honor the crew on the 60th anniversary of the ship's last battle. Katsumi Kamio, a survivor who is now a fisherman, agrees to take her after he discovers she was an adopted daughter of Petty Officer First Class Mamoru Uchida, a crewman and close friend who he thought went down with the ship.
, 1h25Genres Action, Adventure, Animation
Actors Shigeru Chiba, Takahiro Sakurai, Ikue Ōtani, Ai Maeda, Hiroki Takahashi, Masami Kikuchi
The movie begins with a mysterious figure, Dr. M2, rallying a group of robots that he calls Death Machanics (which all look like gigantic robotic blue versions of Vulcan, a plastic box with wooden sticks for arms that Kiyomaro "gifted" to Gash). He orders one of the units, Death 18, to kidnap Kiyomaro.
Air: The Motion Picture (2005)
, 1h31Directed by Osamu Dezaki
Genres Drama, Fantasy, Animation, Romance
Themes Films about religion, Films based on video games
Actors Hikaru Midorikawa, Tomoko Kawakami, Aya Hisakawa, Chinami Nishimura, Nobutoshi Kanna, Shin-ichiro Miki
Yukito Kunisaki (Hikaru Midorikawa), a traveling puppeteer with a goal to find the "girl in the sky" that been passed down his family for generations, arrives in a sea-side town of Kami in the hopes of earning money at the upcoming summer festival. At the same time, Misuzu Kamio (Tomoko Kawakami) is just leaving school after discussing her summer project. Choosing to do a project on the history of the town, Misuzu finds a book containing the story of Kannabi no Mikoto (Chinami Nishimura) in her town, the inspiration for the upcoming festival. After crashing her bike and encountering Yukito on the beach, Misuzu invites Yukito to stay at her home until the festival begins after learning that he has no place to stay. Meeting Misuzu's eccentric aunt Haruko Kamio (Aya Hisakawa), and getting a hangover the next morning from drinking with her, Yukito accompanies Misuzu throughout the town as she does research for her project.
, 1h8Directed by Daisuke Nishio
Origin Japon
Genres Science fiction, Musical theatre, Adventure, Musical, Animation
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Thomas Bangalter
The story begins on an alien planet where four blue-skinned music stars are performing the song "One More Time" to a similarly blue-skinned audience. At the end of the song, a team of humanoid troops infiltrate the concert and subdue everyone with gas. The band's male guitarist attempts to escape, but gets caught while running away. All four musicians are kidnapped and beamed aboard a large space vessel ("Aerodynamic").
, 40minutesGenres Action, Animation
Actors Junko Takeuchi, Hiroshi Kamiya, Masami Kikuchi, Akemi Okamura, Yūji Ueda, Taeko Kawata
Takuya and his DigiDestined team are traveling through a desert when they find themselves ending up on a floating island known as the Lost Island and in civil war between human and beast Digimon. While ending up on a village of humanoid Digimon, Takuya, J.P., and Tommy learn from Kotemon of a legend that the island was protected by their god Ornismon. Kotemon proceeds to take them to a neutral location where his friend Bearmon brought Koji and Zoe after they ended up in his village. After the two sides argue what they learned, Bearmon and Kote lead them to a mural of Ornismon with Bokomon deeming the DigiCode to be incomplete. Their peaceful meeting is broken up Kotemon and Bearmon's older brothers Dinohyumon and Grizzlymon appear and battle each other. But after Takuya and Koji spirit evolve to Agunimon and KendoGarurumon to stop them, Dinohyumon and Grizzlymon take their respective brothers with them.
Digimon: The Movie (2000)
, 1h25Directed by Mamoru Hosoda, Shigeyasu Yamauchi
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Comedy-drama, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Animation
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Children's films
Actors Lara Jill Miller, Joshua Seth, Annabelle Roux, Michael Lindsay, Mona Marshall, Doug Erholtz
A four-minute short film featuring characters from the Angela Anaconda series appeared before the film in the theatrical and home media releases. In this segment, Angela and her friends line up to watch Digimon: The Movie, but Nannette and her friends cut in line since they have passes. As Angela makes a mad dash to save seats for her friends, Mrs. Brinks (with help from Nannette) sits in front of her, blocking her view. Angela scornfully imagines herself Digivolving into Angelamon to defeat Mrs. Brinks and Nannette, removing all obstacles in enjoying her movie. However, everyone in the audience realizes they are in the wrong movie, so they quickly leave to go to the correct theater, leaving Mrs. Brinks and Nannette behind with the latter covered in food.
One Piece: The Movie (2000)
, 51minutesGenres Comedy, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Animation
Actors Mayumi Tanaka, Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Ikue Ōtani, Kenji Utsumi
In the East Blue, the pirate El Drago and his crew are searching for the treasure left behind by the legendary "Great Gold Pirate" Woonan, which is said to be a mountain of gold; El Drago eventually finds a treasure map to Woonan's gold by killing Wonnan's former crew. While traveling to the treasure, Womman's men rob the Straw Hat Pirates, who have run out of food and are close to starving. Luffy attacks them and accidentally smashes their small boat in the process. Woonan retaliates using his Goe-Goe devil fruit powers, sending a powerful shock-wave that completely destroys the small boat and knocks the Going Merry away. Zoro dives into the sea to save Luffy, separating them from the rest of the Straw Hats, and finds Tobio, a small boy who was forced to work for El Drago. Smelling food, Luffy, Zoro and Tobio use the remains of the boat to travel to a floating oden shop run by Tobio's grandfather, Ganzo. Not having any cash, Luffy and Zoro accidentally perform an eat and run and are chained together by Ganzo.
Yu-Gi-Oh! (1999)
, 30minutesActors Megumi Ogata, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Yumi Kakazu, Ryōtarō Okiayu, Yukana, Hikaru Midorikawa
, 54minutesOrigin Japon
Genres Science fiction, Animation
Themes Space adventure films, Dans l'espace, Space opera, Films about extraterrestrial life
Actors Masako Nozawa, Masako Ikeda, Kōichi Yamadera, Yūko Minaguchi, Noriko Hidaka, Yoshiko Sakakibara
Maetel et Tetsurô repartent à bord du Galaxy Express 999 à la recherche de la planète Eternal.
, 1h20Directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi
Origin Japon
Genres Fantastic, Comedy, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Animation
Themes Films based on mythology, Sports films, Martial arts films
Actors Bin Shimada, Kinya Aikawa, Daisuke Gōri, Naoki Tatsuta, Hisao Egawa, Tōru Furuya
Son Goku rencontre Bulma dans une montagne. Ensemble, ils partent à la recherche des Dragon Balls. Ils seront confrontés à la terrible armée du Red Ribon (armée du Ruban Rouge), elle aussi à la recherche des boules de cristal.
Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1995)
, 50minutesDirected by Shigeyasu Yamauchi
Origin Japon
Genres Science fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Animation
Themes Films based on mythology, Sports films, Martial arts films, Political films
Actors Masahiro Anzai, Takeshi Kusao, Hiromi Tsuru, Atsushi Kisaichi, Hikaru Midorikawa, Daisuke Gōri
In the Other World, a teenage "oni" guarding a spirit cleansing machine turns the volume of his walkman up so loud that he fails to change the evil essence tank when necessary. Due to the overload of evil essence, the machine explodes and the "oni" is transformed into a huge-childlike monster with power over the laws regarding the worlds of the living and the dead. As a result, both worlds are thrown into chaos: in the living world, several deceased are brought back to life, while in the other world, beings who were allowed to keep their bodies turn into spirits, and vice versa.
, 1h1Origin Japon
Genres Comedy, Fantasy, Action, Animation, Romance
Themes Feminist films, Films about magic and magicians, Seafaring films, Transport films, Political films, Children's films
Actors Kae Araki, Chika Sakamoto, Kotono Mitsuishi, Aya Hisakawa, Rica Fukami, Michie Tomizawa
Ami's First Love Japanese theaters showed a trailer before the Sailor Moon Super S film: a 16-minute short named Ami's First Love (Ami-chan no Hatsukoi), in which Ami Mizuno (Sailor Mercury) struggles to focus on her studying amidst various distractions including a pruritus-inducing love letter found in her school locker and a rival known as "Mercurius" who ties Ami's perfect score in mock high school entrance exams, and who Ami believes is either a female monster that makes her forget math and English or a handsome boy who looks like a young Albert Einstein. The short featured a new transformation sequence ("Mercury Crystal Power Make Up!") and special power ("Mercury Aqua Mirage") for Sailor Mercury. The short is based on a side story from the manga of the same name, and was part of a series of side stories for each of the Guardian Senshi.