The Three Fearless Frogs

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Original Title	蛙三勇士
Japanese kana Rendering	Kaeru sanyushi
English Title	The Three Fearless Frogs
Production Date	1933
Author	Noburo Ofuji
Duration (minutes)	7
Sound	silent
Color	b/w, toned
Plot	The battalion commander of frogs, Pyonshichi, directs soldier frogs while riding on a puppy. He arrives at a swamp near "Ginza-no-yanagi" (Ginza Willow). Osode, Pyonshichi's younger sister, is at the top of the willow. From the swamp, Namako the catfish sees the brother and sister through a periscope, goes on land, uproots the tree, and kidnaps Osode. Feeling sorry for her as she cries in a cage at the bottom of the swamp, the sun drops a towel with which it was wiping its tears. That towel becomes a willow, and when Namako is asleep a willow branch grows and pulls Osode out of the bottom of the swamp. Namako notices what happened and attacks the willow where the brother and sister are. Pyonshichi asks for help and a full force of frog soldiers arrive. Even so, they face a tough fight against Namako. Bombs dropped from an airplane turn into a caterpillar, and then a Bangalore torpedo. Three fearless frogs take it and ram themselves into Namako. They give three cheers on the dead body of Namako.
Description	A film produced by Noburo Ofuji, who took up the challenge of making a cel animation in response to the success of American animations, including Walt Disney films. The original was a talkie film, which was released in the Imperial Theatre and other first-class movie theaters for foreign films that belonged to the Shochiku Paramount Kogyosha chain. The existing print is a silent film re-edited in 1937 and the protagonists of the story were also changed from lovers to a brother and sister. The remaining version reveals that Ginza Willows, a popular song at the time, and the Song of Three Fearless Soldiers, which was based on the Shanghai Incident, were used in the talkie version. The Captain of the Pond (1933), a companion volume, was also created in the same year. In this film, Catfish the Captain who lives in a pond is told by a tadpole that there are many delicious fish in the ocean. In the ocean, the Catfish is swallowed by a whale and encounters various difficulties. The film ends with a lesson: The catfish in the pond (instead of a frog in a well, as the original saying goes) knows nothing of the wide ocean. The Three Fearless Frogs in the Japanese Art Animation Film Collection (1) DVD: Collection of Noburo Ofuji's Works (produced by the Japan Association of Audiovisual Producers, Inc., Kinokuniya Shoten, 2004) is a version close to the original made in 1933.
Production Company	Chiyogami Eigasha*
Distribution	Japan Sound Film Distribution Center*
Release Date	Apr 1, 1933
Credits: Director	Animation: Noburo Ofuji
Credits: Staff, Cast, etc.
Intertitles	T1「配役なま公おそでぴょん七」、T3「作画大藤信郎」、T3「銀座の柳」、T4「兄さんこゝよ！」、T5「ハ…･･蛙の兄妹がゐるな」、T6「どれ！御馳走にならうか」、T7「おーい誰れもゐないのか」、T8「兄ちやんは今頃どうしてゐるでせう」、T9「そうだ可愛そうな兄妹蛙を…･･」、T10「ハ…･逃げたな」、T11「SOS SOS」、T12「仲間があぶないおーい集れ！」、T13「爆薬筒擔ひて死地に」、T14「躍進す」、T15「敵壘近し」、T16「轟然と大地はゆらぐ」、T17「ああ勇猛」、T18「肉彈三勇士」、T19「をはり」。
Censorship - Date and Number
References	・「内外短篇映畫欄蛙三勇士」『キネマ旬報』1933年3月11日・第464号、68頁。・「新作教育映畫紹介蛙三勇士」『映畫教育』1937年12月号・第118輯、53頁。
Frames per Second	24fps
Source of Digital Copy	The 35mm nitrate positive donated from individuals（toned） -> The 35mm color internegative owned by NFC -> 35mm color positive
Completeness	no main title
Additional Notes	The mark of "*" will provide an additional explanation gained from the bibliographical information.
Related Links	cutout, character＜Noburo Ofuji　Memorial Museum / Gallery＞