Wooden puppet stop-motion samurai awesomeness! A must watch! Hidari is a stop-motion animated film currently in development in Japan under the direction of Masashi Kawamura. The film recently finished a massive funding round on Kickstarter, and they've released a 5-minute pilot short to show everyone how this will look. It Rules!! I've always been a fan of stop-motion, but I've never seen anything like this. The film tells the story of "Jingoro Hidari," a legendary Edo-era craftsman. All characters are made by wood & animated frame-by-frame, just like how Jingoro's wooden sculptures came to life in his stories. This short mixes dynamic action as seen in Japanimation, and the rich analog expressions of stop-motion. "As a kid who was raised watching films by Ray Harryhausen, Kihachiro Kawamoto, and Phil Tippett, I always dreamt about one day creating a long length stop-motion animation film." I'm 100% in. Can't wait to see it finished.
- 4/27/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Stop what you're doing and watch this pilot film for a stop motion animated project out of Japan, a samurai sandalpunk project called Hidari. Hidari popped up on our radars yesterday and we're so smitten with the piece alone that we had to share. Not only is this short amazing on its own we found out that it was just part of the pitch for a feature length stop animated samurai flick. Take our money! The short is done in an animation style the lead director Masashi Kawamura says is called Japanimation. Kawamura cites influences like "Ray Harryhausen, Kihachiro Kawamoto, and Phil Tippett" as well. That's not a bad place to build off of. “Japanimation”– is an animation style born in Japan, that's...
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- 3/10/2023
- Screen Anarchy
Ovid.tv Launches this month a New Collection of Films from Cinema Tropical and also celebrates the work of master animator Kihachiro Kawamoto with today’s release of “The Book of The Dead”. It’s a tour de force adventure tale of a young noble girl in 8th-century Japan who leaves her home to follow the apparition of an executed prince in a ravishing film of beauty and mysticism.
The Book of the Dead
Directed by Kihachiro Kawamoto; KimStim, Animation
As Buddhism is being introduced to Japan from China, Iratsume, a woman of noble descent becomes obsessed with this mysteriously new religion. One night in a rapturous trance, Iratsume sees a luminous vision that she believes to be the Buddha, compelling her to leave home and journey to a sacred temple. There she sees Otsu, a young Prince who was executed 50 years earlier.
While Iratsume mistakes the prince’s spirit...
The Book of the Dead
Directed by Kihachiro Kawamoto; KimStim, Animation
As Buddhism is being introduced to Japan from China, Iratsume, a woman of noble descent becomes obsessed with this mysteriously new religion. One night in a rapturous trance, Iratsume sees a luminous vision that she believes to be the Buddha, compelling her to leave home and journey to a sacred temple. There she sees Otsu, a young Prince who was executed 50 years earlier.
While Iratsume mistakes the prince’s spirit...
- 5/30/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Inventive stop-motion animator and puppet maker who garnered a worldwide reputation
Kihachiro Kawamoto, who has died aged 85, was best known in Japan for creating the vast array of puppets populating the live-action historical television series Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1982-84) and Tale of Heike (1993-95). He was also highly regarded internationally for haunting stop-motion animations, such as Dojoji Temple (1976) and House of Flame (1979), in which the figures are manipulated and photographed frame-by-frame so that they appear to move on their own.
Like his one-time collaborator Tadanari Okamoto, with whom he toured his independent films from 1972 to 1980, his exercises in stop-motion puppetry were influenced by European practices. But Kawamoto's ornate works are also deeply rooted in Japanese folklore and aesthetics, with an overarching philosophy based on Buddhism. They are a powerful reminder of the more artisanal traditions within Japanese animation that are often ignored by western commentators' focus on commercial anime.
Kihachiro Kawamoto, who has died aged 85, was best known in Japan for creating the vast array of puppets populating the live-action historical television series Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1982-84) and Tale of Heike (1993-95). He was also highly regarded internationally for haunting stop-motion animations, such as Dojoji Temple (1976) and House of Flame (1979), in which the figures are manipulated and photographed frame-by-frame so that they appear to move on their own.
Like his one-time collaborator Tadanari Okamoto, with whom he toured his independent films from 1972 to 1980, his exercises in stop-motion puppetry were influenced by European practices. But Kawamoto's ornate works are also deeply rooted in Japanese folklore and aesthetics, with an overarching philosophy based on Buddhism. They are a powerful reminder of the more artisanal traditions within Japanese animation that are often ignored by western commentators' focus on commercial anime.
- 9/5/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
"It's not a good week to be a Japanese animation legend," sighs Amid Amidi at Cartoon Brew. "Stop motion animator and puppeteer Kihachiro Kawamoto, passed away last Monday at age 85. The cause of death was pneumonia."
Jasper Sharp interviewed Kawamoto in 2004 for Midnight Eye and, just last month, curated the program Kihachiro Kawamoto: Japan's Master Puppeteer for the Shinsedai Cinema Festival: "Born in 1925 in Tokyo, Kihachiro Kawamoto originally wanted to pursue a career in architecture while taking up doll-making as a hobby. In 1950, he teamed up with publisher Tadasu Iizawa to create a series of doll storybooks. It was at this same time Kawamoto discovered the works of animator Jiri Trnka. Inspired by the Czech master, he began studying under stop-motion animator Tadahito Mochinaga and by the 1970s he was making elaborate films based on traditional Japanese folk tales."
Update, 9/1: "Despite producing two collage animations, The Trip (1973) and...
Jasper Sharp interviewed Kawamoto in 2004 for Midnight Eye and, just last month, curated the program Kihachiro Kawamoto: Japan's Master Puppeteer for the Shinsedai Cinema Festival: "Born in 1925 in Tokyo, Kihachiro Kawamoto originally wanted to pursue a career in architecture while taking up doll-making as a hobby. In 1950, he teamed up with publisher Tadasu Iizawa to create a series of doll storybooks. It was at this same time Kawamoto discovered the works of animator Jiri Trnka. Inspired by the Czech master, he began studying under stop-motion animator Tadahito Mochinaga and by the 1970s he was making elaborate films based on traditional Japanese folk tales."
Update, 9/1: "Despite producing two collage animations, The Trip (1973) and...
- 9/1/2010
- MUBI
A moment here to say a very public well done to Shinsedai Festival organizers Chris MaGee and Jasper Sharp. The complete festival lineup and schedule have been announced today and it's a stellar, diverse lineup of titles. Here's the announcement of the second block of titles:
The anticipation has been building for the past few weeks, but now we are very proud to announce the full line-up and screening schedule for the 2nd annual Shinsedai Cinema Festival taking place at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto. Joining the already announced screenings of Kenji Mizoguchi's silent classic "The Water Magician" (with live musical accompaniment by Toronto's Vowls), the Canadian Premiere of Gen Takahashi's police epic "Confessions of a Dog" and the Toronto Premiere of the ward-winning concert documentary "Live Tape" are:
Kakera: A Piece Of Our Life (Toronto Premiere/ Opening Night Film): Haru (Hikari Mitsushima) is a...
The anticipation has been building for the past few weeks, but now we are very proud to announce the full line-up and screening schedule for the 2nd annual Shinsedai Cinema Festival taking place at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto. Joining the already announced screenings of Kenji Mizoguchi's silent classic "The Water Magician" (with live musical accompaniment by Toronto's Vowls), the Canadian Premiere of Gen Takahashi's police epic "Confessions of a Dog" and the Toronto Premiere of the ward-winning concert documentary "Live Tape" are:
Kakera: A Piece Of Our Life (Toronto Premiere/ Opening Night Film): Haru (Hikari Mitsushima) is a...
- 6/17/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Plastic Paper is a festival of animation and puppet films that will run at the Park Theatre in Winnipeg, Canada on May 5-8 and is presented by the Big Smash! Film Collective. The program, listed below, includes short films, features, documentaries, installations and special events.
The feature films include Rocaterrania, Brett Ingram’s documentary on scientific illustrator and secret fantasy artist Renaldo Kuhler; 2010 Oscar nominated film The Secret of Kells; the little seen 1982 environmental and animal activist film The Plague Dogs; a new surreal work by underground animator Bruce Bickford; and more.
For special events, there will be a continuously-running video installation by Winnipeg animator Leslie Supnet called How to Care for Introverts; a one-day Master Class taught by the legendary Bill Plympton; a Saturday morning cartoon feast; a T-shirt making class; and more.
Below is the full lineup of all the films screening at Plastic Paper, but for more info on them,...
The feature films include Rocaterrania, Brett Ingram’s documentary on scientific illustrator and secret fantasy artist Renaldo Kuhler; 2010 Oscar nominated film The Secret of Kells; the little seen 1982 environmental and animal activist film The Plague Dogs; a new surreal work by underground animator Bruce Bickford; and more.
For special events, there will be a continuously-running video installation by Winnipeg animator Leslie Supnet called How to Care for Introverts; a one-day Master Class taught by the legendary Bill Plympton; a Saturday morning cartoon feast; a T-shirt making class; and more.
Below is the full lineup of all the films screening at Plastic Paper, but for more info on them,...
- 5/1/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
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