The Tiny One Makes it Big (1929)

The very short adventures of a samurai and his fighting bear.

A Japanese legend about a fisherman who rescues a turtle and is rewarded for this with a visit to Ryūgū-jō, the palace of Ryūjin, the Dragon God, under the sea.

This very brief cartoon from Japan whose title translated means "The Monkey Fleet" and runs little more than a minute has the Asian monkeys battling octopuses as they both go underwater with the simian animals riding in submarines shooting their torpedo bullets at the sea creatures.

A Japanese equivalent of a Hollywood Screen Song.

Early Japanese anime. A stop-motion papercraft animation set to a song sung by Kikoku Inoue

Very short animated film from Japan, using cut-outs in the style of Lotte Reiniger.

It’s sumo time! Plenty of animals come together for a rousing set of battles in the ring, but only one will prove victorious. Will it be the duck, the monkey, or maybe even the elephant that will win the day? Only time and skill will tell!

This anime shows a mission commanded by the Lord of the Rats to bring food, but a cat is watching the mice, so the Lord of the Rats orders them to kill the Cat so that the mission is successful.

Documentary on the process of hay-making, from the cutting of the grass to the stacking of the hay.

A dreamy boy in a distant country saves a fish beached on the shore. When he lets it loose in a pool of water, the fish turns into a beautiful mermaid.

A boy in a cadet's uniform paints a statement on the top of the frame and then tips his cap to the audience.

A documentary showcasing the world's many different animal species, both past and present.

The Blue Racer snake hunts for food. After failing to nab an egg from Crazylegs Crane, he decided to try catching a bee, but even that fails.

The Unlucky Butterfly. A early Japanese animation short.

Feeling down about his reptilian appearance, Blue Racer wonders what it would be like to instead be a bird. Just then, a wizard appears out of thin air in need of some snake sweat for a magical potion. Blue Racer refuses to help, but the wizard entices him by offering to grant him three wishes. Intrigued, Blue Racer wishes he had wings. The wizard obliges, but a little courting escapade, an encounter with Crazylegs Crane, and the rescue of a small chick make Blue Racer realize that life as a winged blue snake isn't all it's cracked up to be.

It's winter and The Blue Racer is looking for a place to stay. He comes across a cabin that's perfect except for a bear that wants it for himself.

While feeling amorous, the Blue Racer hits on what he believes is a fellow snake but turns out to be a tough elephant's trunk. The elephant gives him a pounding but hurts his trunk in the process. Coming upon the Japanese Beetle, the pachyderm asks him to perform a little chiropractic karate on his sore trunk. The Beetle obliges, and in gratitude the elephant promises to protect him from a certain serpent.

During the late Kamakura period, there lived a famous swordsmith known as Masamune whose renown as a swordsmith was so great that even long after his passing the term “Masamune” was used to describe any fine sword. Even today, the Masamune Prize is awarded to swordsmiths of outstanding skills in their craft. In Yasuji Murata’s cutout animation The Monkey Masamune a humble messenger is rewarded with the gift of a Masamune sword when he saves the life of a monkey and her child.

The Blue Racer's wife wakes the Blue Racer up and sends him out for food. He encounters the Japanese Beetle, tries to eat and capture the Beetle over and over, but fails. First "The Blue Racer" cartoon.

Based on a hit song by child star Hideko Hirai from 1929, this gem -- a real historical curiosity -- provides glimpses of 1930s popular culture through introducing the typical life of a bright, energetic young girl. It contains an early product placement (for Lion Toothpaste), educational content and newsreel footage of Japan’s first woman Olympic medalist, Kinue Hitomi.