The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun
In autumn 1965, Isao Takahata began work on a project that would become his first feature film. The title was Horus, Prince of the Sun. This film marked the start of a fifty-year partnership between Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki served as scene designer and key animator during production. Yasuo Otsuka acted as animation director for the entire run. Other key animators included Yasuji Mori, Reiko Okuyama, and Yoichi Kotabe. All team members except Takahata contributed to character designs. Akemi Ota, Masatake Kita, and Sadao Kikuchi were also listed as key animators but added few ideas to the final product. The group collaborated on storyboards and planning meetings in an egalitarian manner. This approach allowed Miyazaki to shape both the narrative and visual style significantly.
The core story originated from a puppet play written by screenwriter Toshio Maeda. That script reinterpreted an epic from Yukar, the oral tradition of the Ainu people. The Ainu are indigenous inhabitants of Hokkaido island. The original Japanese title of the Ainu epic remains untranslated in most Western sources. For this 1968 adaptation, creators moved the setting from Japan to Scandinavia. They chose northern Norway as the fictional location. This shift avoided controversy regarding the depiction of Ainu culture. The film aimed to address adult audiences rather than children. It reflected societal changes occurring within contemporary Japan at that time. Socialist ideals appeared in the portrayal of the village community. Protagonists improved their own lives while benefiting society through communal effort. Subsistence fishing became a central activity for the villagers shown on screen.
Filming began in autumn 1965 and concluded in March 1968. Toei studio executives typically completed feature-length animations within eight to ten months. Horus required over two years to finish. Production costs exceeded one hundred million yen. This made it the most expensive anime film released up until 1977. Space Battleship Yamato later surpassed its budget figures. Takahata and animation director Otsuka invited input from every team member during planning meetings. Their egalitarian workflow method opened doors for Miyazaki to contribute heavily to story development. The focus at Toei was shifting toward television animation production during this period. Union organizers like Miyazaki and Takahata faced resistance from company leadership. The extended timeline allowed for complex sequences like the giant fish fight scene. That sequence has been referenced as pivotal in the evolution of cel animation techniques.
A reviewer for Hakubunkan's monthly magazine wrote about the film in 1968. They stated that commercial animation had surpassed Disney in certain corners of the world. Despite critical acclaim, the theatrical run lasted only ten days. Helen McCarthy noted in her book Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation that the short showing puzzled many observers. Patrick Drazen suggested the brief run might have punished union organizers who refused future work with Toei. The film became a financial flop upon initial release. Yet young audiences quickly embraced its themes and visuals. Justin Sevakis observed in March 2014 that Horus remained one of few animated stories from that era suitable for adult viewers. Animage magazine later ranked it third best anime production of all time in 2001. Mike Toole placed it first on his list of one hundred best anime movies in 2017.
Yasuo Otsuka's animation style influenced generations of creators after 1968. Thomas Lamarre highlighted Otsuka's approach as essential to understanding Miyazaki's later works. The sequence where Horus fights the giant fish has been cited repeatedly by scholars. It demonstrated profound impact on subsequent Studio Ghibli productions. Hilda emerged as a conflicted heroine working sometimes for good and sometimes for evil. Patrick Drazen praised this character as the first multidimensional female lead in Takahata and Miyazaki films. The film gained recognition among critics decades after its premiere. In 2013, Discotek Media released an English-subtitled version for North America. This edition included interviews with Takahata and Yoichi Kotabe alongside four written essays. The original Japanese audio was preserved alongside new translations. Critics now view Horus as a masterpiece despite its initial commercial failure.
Optimum Releasing issued the UK DVD titled The Little Norse Prince in 2005. Subtitles skipped dialog lines and omitted all songs from the soundtrack. Ghosting artifacts appeared due to conversion from sixty hertz to fifty hertz for European compatibility. That release remained out of print within a decade. Toei released a Blu-ray edition in Japan during 2013 using upscaled standard definition transfers. No English subtitles accompanied that version. Discotek Media launched a DVD for Northern America on the 23rd of December 2014. Their translation proved more complete than previous attempts except for calling the title character Horus instead of Hols. A second Blu-ray arrived the 28th of March 2017 featuring both Japanese audio and the AIP English dub. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer eventually acquired the AIP library allowing streaming availability on Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video by 2015.
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Common questions
When did Isao Takahata begin work on Horus Prince of the Sun?
Isao Takahata began work on Horus Prince of the Sun in autumn 1965. The production concluded in March 1968 after taking over two years to complete.
Who were the key animators involved in creating Horus Prince of the Sun?
Yasuo Otsuka served as animation director for the entire run while Hayao Miyazaki worked as scene designer and key animator. Other key animators included Yasuji Mori, Reiko Okuyama, Yoichi Kotabe, Akemi Ota, Masatake Kita, and Sadao Kikuchi.
Where was the setting changed to for the 1968 adaptation of Horus Prince of the Sun?
Creators moved the setting from Japan to northern Norway as a fictional location. This shift avoided controversy regarding the depiction of Ainu culture from Hokkaido island.
How much did it cost to produce Horus Prince of the Sun?
Production costs exceeded one hundred million yen making it the most expensive anime film released up until 1977. Space Battleship Yamato later surpassed its budget figures.
When was the English-subtitled version of Horus Prince of the Sun released by Discotek Media?
Discotek Media launched an English-subtitled DVD for Northern America on the 23rd of December 2014. A second Blu-ray arrived the 28th of March 2017 featuring both Japanese audio and the AIP English dub.