Kyouiku Otogi Manga Usagi to Kame

The story develops based on The Hare and the Tortoise, a song for kids (lyrics by Wasaburo Ishihara; composed by Benjiro Nosho). The pictures are drawn with a simple technique using only lines. Despite being a silent film, it is designed to incorporate musical elements. For example, the lyrics of the song The Hare and the Tortoise are represented as musical notes coming out of the characters’ mouths. The unique backgrounds remind us of scenery in some foreign country rather than a landscape used in an old Japanese folk tale. This film is one of Sanae Yamamoto’s earliest works and is described in documents as being produced by Kitayama Eiga Seisakusho owned by Seitaro Kitayama, Yamamoto’s teacher.

(Japanese Animated Film Classics)