火の鳥 (1978年劇場版)

ひのとり

Aired: 1978

A theatrical anime produced by Tezuka Productions and directed by Kon Ichikawa, based on the Dawn chapter of Osamu Tezuka's life-work Phoenix. Set in ancient Japan, it interweaves the desires of the powerful and the fates of ordinary people such as Hinaku and Nagi around the legendary immortal phoenix, whose blood is said to grant eternal life. Experimental visuals combining live action, puppetry, and animation, together with Michel Legrand's solemn score, render the grand themes of life and eternity with gravity. As the screen adaptation of an epic Tezuka conceived over many years, it counts among the bold challenges of Japanese animated expression.