Yasuo Ohtsuka's Joy of Motion

Documentary: 23 July 2004 / 107 minutes

DVD case cover art

Credits & Film Information Figures; data; weekly BO #

Story Plot, project proposal & theme

Scripts & Lyrics What they say & sing

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Hayao Miyazaki All about the director

Yasuo Ohtsuka's Joy of Motion (大塚康生の動かす喜び, Ootsuka Yasuo no Ugokasu Yorokobi^?) is a documentary about the life and career of Yasuo Ohtsuka. From the VeryCoolThings website:

"Yasuo Otsuka was the mentor of Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki, the man who taught them to feel the joy of animation. As the supervising animator of their films and through the creation of superb scenes such as Lupin leaping from turret to turret in Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro, Otsuka made the impossible believable, and touched people’s emotions. To look back at the many works he was involved in is to review the history of Japanese animation after WWII. This film is a must for anime fans who want to learn how Japanese animation evolved."

And from Daniel Thomas MacInnes' Ghibli Blog:

"The great thing about Yasuo Otsuka is that he, and the documentary, makes animation look like the easiest thing in the world. He makes it all look fun. It's all intuition and careful observation, much more about motion and personality than strict adherence to detail or form. The film takes us into his classes, and for a moment, you too, feel like you could give this a try. All you have to do is just draw. Draw a face. Make a few drawings of a man diving into a pool. That's a cinch. I could do that. By the end, you'll want to grab a pen and paper and try your hand as well. This is a tribute to the warmth and wisdom of Yasuo Otsuka."