Tadahito Mochinaga
Directing
Biography
Tadahito "Tad" Mochinaga was a pioneer Japanese stop-motion animator. Having done many stop motion films/shorts in Japan, he is best known as the animator for Rankin/Bass' "Animagic" productions at his MOM Studio in Tokyo throughout the 1960s. He did this work in association with American director Arthur Rankin, Jr. who wrote and designed the productions before sending them to Japan for animation. In 1945, Mochinaga traveled to Xinjing in the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo set up in occupied China, to work at the Manchukuo Film Association. He stayed in China after the war and from 1950, he spent three years in Shanghai working on such films as Thank You, Kitty. He is perhaps the only major artist of the era to have worked in both Chinese and Japanese animation industries.
Known For
When Dr Frankenstein decides to retire from the monster-making business, he calls an international roster of monsters to a creepy convention to elect his successor. Everyone is there including Dracula, The Werewolf, The Creature, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and many more. But Frankenstein's title is not all that is at stake. The famous doctor has also discovered the secret of total destruction that must not fall into the wrong hands!
Mad Monster Party?
Little Willy McBean joins up with a Mexican monkey named Pablo to travel back in time and stop the evil Prof. von Rotten from changing history.
Willy McBean & His Magic Machine
A stop motion puppet animation by Tadahito Mochinaga.
Penguin Bouya Lulu to Kiki
On a highland with beautiful scenery, there lived some small animals. They had a good friend named Xiao Tie Zhu.
Little Iron Pillar the Boy
A satirical puppet animation short on Chiang Kai-shek made by the communist party.
The Dream to Be an Emperor
Fuku-chan was one of the most popular newspaper comic strip boy-characters in Japan at the time. The film portrays a submarine attack on an enemy cargo ship. Though this, too, was to boost patriotism, Japanese children particularly enjoyed the scenes in which the kitchen crew cooked in the submarine kitchen. Released in November of the same year, the food shortage was quite serious in Japan, and the abundant food supply in the submarine kitchen -- vegetables, fruit, fish, rice, and more which were already luxury items in Japan at the time -- was prepared into various dishes along with a merry, rhythmic song.
Fuku-chan's Submarine
A short puppet animation movie by Tadahito Mochinaga.
Go-hiki no Kozaru-tachi
Kitten Miaomiao and Mimi are a pair of siblings with opposite personalities, one is hardworking and obedient, and the other is playful and lazy. When the sun came out, mother wanted them to get up, and Miaomiao got up, but Mimi had to stay in bed.
Kitty Goes Fishing
A short puppet animation movie by Tadahito Mochinaga.
Bunbuku Chagama
The industrious and brave little cat is a good friend of everyone. It is hard work for everyone to watch the nursing home day and night. One day, two mice sneaked into a family under the broad daylight, not only spoiled the grain in the barn, but also messed up the room. At the end of the day, they stole the big eggs from the hen. While dragging the eggs and looking around in a hurry, the scene of the sneaky was seen by the big cat who was playing basketball, and the hen was able to keep her egg baby.
Thank You, Kitty
A short puppet animation movie by Tadahito Mochinaga.
Uriko-hime to Amanojaku
A short puppet animation movie by Tadahito Mochinaga.
The Stolen Lump
A satirical animation short on Chiang Kai-shek made by communist party.
Capturing the Turtle in the Jar
A short puppet animation movie by Tadahito Mochinaga.
Ou-sama ni Natta Kitsune
Little Black Sambo was screened at the first Vancouver International Film Festival in 1958, and won the Best Film award in the Films for Children section.
Little Black Sambo versus the Tiger
A short puppet animation from 1957 directed by Tadahito Mochinaga.
Little Black Sambo and his Twin Brother
A short movie based on the children's story by Momoko Ishii.