Legend of the Forest
Silent animated tribute to nature and cinema history.
**Legend of the Forest** (森の伝説, *Mori no densetsu*) is a 1987 Japanese animated film created by Osamu Tezuka and his studio, Tezuka Productions. The film was originally conceived as a four-part work, but it was shown in an incomplete state in 1987 at the Asahi Prize ceremony, featuring only the first and fourth segments. The two middle movements were never finished following Tezuka’s death in 1989. In 2014, his son Makoto Tezuka, who also co-manages Tezuka Productions, completed the second movement in collaboration with other artists, releasing it as *The Legend of the Forest – Part 2*.
The first movement follows a flying squirrel’s battle with a hunter who works as a lumberjack. The second movement, directed by Makoto Tezuka in collaboration with others, tells the story of the life and death of a single dragonfly as it travels along a river through the forest. The third movement, which was never realized, was meant to focus on falling raindrops. The fourth movement shows forest spirits trying to protect their environment from the destruction caused by loggers.
The entire film is silent, and each segment is timed to match the music of the different movements of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. Inspired by the world of Walt Disney, the film also serves as a tribute to the history of animated cinema and as an artistic statement with an ecological message.
- Release Year
- 1987
- Director
- Osamu Tezuka
- Studio
- Tezuka Productions
- Country
- Japan
- Format
- Silent animated film
- Music
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4
- Notable Feature
- Incomplete; second movement completed in 2014 by Makoto Tezuka and collaborators
Quick Facts
- Ja Romaji
- Mori no densetsu
- Genre
- Animated film, experimental film
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film is entirely silent, with each segment synchronized to the movements of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4. Inspired by the world of Walt Disney, it serves as both a tribute to the history of animated cinema and an artistic pamphlet with an ecological position. The first movement depicts a flying squirrel's struggle against a hunter lumberjack, while the fourth movement features forest spirits trying to save their environment from foresters. The second movement follows the life and death of a single dragonfly.
Reader's Guide
Legend of the Forest is significant as a late work by Osamu Tezuka, a pioneering figure in Japanese animation. Its incomplete state—with the second and third movements unfinished at Tezuka's death—highlights the challenges of ambitious artistic projects. The completion of the second movement in 2014 by his son Makoto Tezuka demonstrates the enduring legacy of Tezuka's vision. The film's ecological themes, silent format, and integration with classical music mark it as a distinctive experimental work within Tezuka's filmography. Its tribute to Disney animation and the history of the medium underscores Tezuka's role in bridging Eastern and Western animation traditions. The film's fragmented release history and posthumous continuation make it a unique case study in animation preservation and artistic succession.
Did You Know?
- The film was initially planned in four movements but only the first and fourth were completed for its 1987 presentation.
- The second movement, directed by Makoto Tezuka in collaboration with other artists, was produced in 2014 under the title The Legend of the Forest – Part 2.
- The third movement, never realized, was intended to feature falling raindrops.
- The film is entirely silent and synchronized with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4.
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