Impressions and reviews of "Let's All Sing Together": A harmony of fun and emotion

Let's all sing together - Minnadayshoniiutaimau

■ Public Media

theater

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

1958

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 3

■ Production

・Production: Toei Animation

Overview

"Let's All Sing Together" is a short animated film produced by Toei Animation and released in 1958. This work was a promotional video commissioned by the U.S. Embassy and has never been released to the public. As such, it is treated as a very valuable resource. This work, which consists of three episodes, can be said to be a symbol of Japanese animation technology and cultural exchange at the time.

Background

In the 1950s, Japan was in the midst of postwar reconstruction and international exchange was becoming more active. Relations with the United States were particularly important, and this type of PR video was produced as part of cultural exchange. Toei Animation had already had advanced technical capabilities at the time, and was commissioned by the U.S. Embassy to produce this film.

story

"Let's All Sing Together" is made up of three episodes. Each episode depicts people coming together and having fun through song. The specific stories are not public, so the details are unknown, but based on materials from the time, it can be inferred that the songs were centered around children singing to express friendship and unity.

character

Although specific character information has not been made public, it is highly likely that the film would have featured cute animals and children, as seen in Toei Animation's works at the time. In particular, since the film is themed around singing, there would have been many scenes in which the characters sing.

Animation Technology

Toei Animation already had advanced animation techniques in 1958. Let's All Sing Together was produced using that technology. In particular, the singing scenes were carefully crafted to create visually enjoyable scenes with a focus on the characters' movements and expressions. The colorful backgrounds and dynamic camerawork were also distinctive features.

music

As the title of this work is "Let's all sing together," there is no doubt that music is an important element. Although the specific songs have not been made public, it is highly likely that popular songs or children's songs of the time were used. It is likely that the work was designed to make the audience feel a sense of unity through the music.

Cultural significance

"Let's All Sing Together" was a film that played a part in the cultural exchange between Japan and the United States after the war. In particular, the singing scenes, which are centered around children, symbolize peace and friendship, and reflect the international situation at the time. This film also demonstrates Toei Animation's technical capabilities and creativity, and can be said to have contributed to the later development of Japanese animation.

Evaluation and impact

"Let's All Sing Together" has not been released to the public, and has not received widespread acclaim. However, animation researchers and historians highly value its valuable documentary value. It is particularly important for understanding the history of postwar Japanese animation technology and cultural exchange. Furthermore, one of the production staff on this work, Yasushi Yabushita, would go on to work on later Toei Animation productions, and his influence can be said to be significant.

Recommendations and related works

"Let's All Sing Together" is a private film, so it is difficult to watch, but we recommend looking for other early works by Toei Animation, or Japanese animation works from the 1950s. In particular, the following works were produced around the same time as "Let's All Sing Together," and will allow you to get a feel for the atmosphere of that time.

• "The Legend of the White Snake" (1958, Toei Animation)
• "Wanwan Chushingura" (1959, Toei Animation)
• "Anju and Zushiomaru" (1961, Toei Animation)

These works will help you understand the technical capabilities and creativity of Toei Animation at the time and the background of "Let's All Sing Together." It may also be a good idea to look for animation works with music and song themes. For example, the following works have stories centered around songs and are enjoyable.

• "Anpanman" series (1988-, Nippon Television)
• "Ojamajo Doremi" series (1999-2003, TV Asahi)
• "K-ON!" (2009-2010, TBS)

summary

"Let's All Sing Together" is a promotional video produced by Toei Animation in 1958 at the request of the US Embassy, ​​and is a valuable resource as it is not available to the public. This work, which depicts people coming together to have fun through song, played a part in the cultural exchange between Japan and the US after the war, and also demonstrates Toei Animation's technical capabilities and creativity. It is difficult to watch as it is not open to the public, but you can understand the background by looking for other early works by the same Toei Animation or other animated works with a song theme.