Animation of the Week: Tai Shitai (たい したい, 2024)

 

Title: Tai Shitai （たいしたい）

Director: Shōta （しょーた） https://www.shotaanimation.com/ 

For: TV Tokyo

Literally titled "I want to be a sea bream," this animation for babies and toddlers is fun for all ages with its clever word play and delightful animation. 

The young director Shōta is a graduate of Tokyo Zokei University (BFA 2016, MFA 2018) where he was mentored by Mori Masaaki. He currently works for the video production company Directions, Inc.

 

 2025 Cathy Munroe Hotes

In Memoriam: Masaaki Mori, Pioneering Japanese Clay Animator

 

This has been a very difficult year for the tight knit Japanese independent animation community as we were rocked by the sudden passing of much-loved stop motion animator Masaaki Mori (森まさあき, 1955-2025) on Monday, March 24th, 2025. I was able to pay my respects to a warm, sociable man who had quickly become my friend since I became a JAA member at the well-attended public service that was held Sunday, March 30th at Comwell Hall Koenji in Tokyo.

 

A special memorial event called “My Story: Time Spent with Professor Mori Masaaki” 追悼企画「マイ・ストーリー 森まさあき先生と歩んだ時間」 was held at ICAF (the Inter College Animation Festival) at the National Art Center on Saturday, October 11th. Hosted by his peers IKIF (Kifune Tokumitsu木船徳光 + Ishida Sonoko 石田[木船]園子) with participation by his former students independent animators Qrais (キューライス), Shōta (しょーた), and Madhouse Animator Chie Yamashiro (山城智恵).

At this event we had the opportunity to see rare 8mm works made in Mori’s youth as well as a number of his television commercials. It was clearly a trip down memory lane for his peers. His former students shared anecdotes from their time with their animation sensei. The overall picture matched the man that I knew: warm, funny, gregarious, generous to a fault… and unbelievably supportive of his former students in all their endeavours. It was clear that he was much more than just a mentor to them. He was like a family member.

An Overview of Mori’s Life 

 Born in Shizuoka in 1955, Mori initially studied accounting at Chuo University under pressure from his father to take over the family business. However, his real passion was animation and puppetry and he eventually convinced his father to allow him to switch to a career in the arts. As a child, puppet shows on the public broadcaster NHK inspired Mori to start making his own puppets. His mother encouraged his interest by buying him a book on how to make puppets using papier-mâché. A screening of the original King Kong sparked his interest in the technique of stop motion, and his uncle, a graphic designer, taught Mori and his older sister how to make stop motion using vinyl figurines and an 8mm camera. His father bought him a Single 8 Fujifilm camera, which he used to make both animation and live action with special effects with his school friends.

While at prep school in Koenji, Mori bought a copy of the entertainment magazine PIA at a bookshop and came across an advertisement for a Ray Harryhausen special screening by the animation research group Anido featuring an image of the Cyclops from Jason and the Argonauts (Don Chaffey, 1963). Mori loved the film when he had seen it on TV, but this was his first time learning the name of the man responsible for the stop motion special effects. After the screening, he saw an ad in PIA by a group called Arugo Tankentai (Copycat Expedition Team a play on the Japanese title of Jason and the Argonauts, Arugo Tankeitai no Daibouken, which literally translates as The Great Adventure of the Argo Expedition Team) evoking Harryhausen’s name.

Outside of Japan, Mori is known for his work with renowned puppet animation pioneer Kihachirō Kawamoto. He was one of 35 animators who contributed animated shorts to Kawamoto’s adaptation of Bashō’s renku poem Winter Days (Fuyu no hi, 2003). Mori adapted stanza 30 by Kakei using his signature clay animation pigs. The amusing scene of a biwa playing pig amusing three noble pigs in a garden of hibiscus flowers is typical of Mori’s use of humour in his works. He was also one of the main stop motion animators who worked on Kawamoto’s final masterpiece, Book of the Dead (Shisha no Sho, 2005).

In addition to his creative work, Mori was an active member of the animation community as vice chairperson of the Japanese Animation Association (JAA) and an animation professor at Tokyo Zokei University from 2005 until his retirement in 2021. He was a beloved mentor to many young students introducing them to stop motion from around the world

He was a regular attendee of animation festivals across Japan where he loved making new friends and having deep conversations about the art and craft of animation. He also loved documenting the attendees of animation events taking selfies with his friends and new acquaintances. His friends and family gave him his final farewell with a tribute of flowers. During his open casket service, we could see that clasped in his hands was a photograph of Mori with his hero Ray Harryhausen. We will remember him for his enthusiasm for stop motion and his welcoming smile.

The Tokyo Anime Award Festival (東京アニメアワードフェスティバル) has announced that Mori Masaaki will be posthumously celebrated at the 2026 festival in March. If you are in Tokyo March 13-16, I recommend coming to see a selection of his representative works (selected works TBA).

The information in this obituary is based on my conversations with Mori-san over the years, information presented at his retirement exhibition at Tokyo Zokei University in 2021, and the interview by Takanaka Shimotsuki published by Zokei in advance of the exhibition.

2025 Cathy Munroe Hotes

New Competition For Animated Films: Nippon Animation Shorts Award

I am delighted to be able to announce the inaugural Nippon Animation Shorts Award at Nippon Connection in 2026. When festival programmer Florian Höhr, approached me about the sponsorship proposal from Wacom, I was so pleased. I had been hoping for an animation prize for Nippon Connection for many years. Please get the word out to young animators from or working in Japan, so that they may learn of this opportunity to win a generous award for their work. 

Press Release Dec 08, 2025: （日本語のテキストは下にスクロールしてください） 

New Competition For Animated Films: Nippon Animation Shorts Award 

Wacom is sponsoring the first award for the best animated short film at the Japanese Film Festival Nippon Connection.  

With the Nippon Animation Shorts Award, the Nippon Connection Film Festival will introduce its first dedicated competition for animated short films in 2026. The new award focuses on supporting emerging creative talents from Japan and is presented in cooperation with Wacom. 

 From June 2 to 7, 2026, the 26th Nippon Connection Film Festival will screen around 100 short and feature-length films from Japan at various venues in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. With more than 20,000 visitors, it is considered the world’s largest platform for Japanese cinema. With the new award, the festival further strengthens its long-standing commitment to emerging talent and innovative filmmaking. 

 “Independent and experimental animation is a key driving force behind creative innovation. Young artists deserve visibility and recognition – which is why we are very pleased to support the first Nippon Animation Shorts Award and to accompany new talents on their way.” – Nobu Ide, CEO, Wacom

 Wacom, whose digital drawing tablets and pen displays are used in many animation studios worldwide, is deeply committed to promoting the next generation in the creative industries. The new partnership between Wacom and Nippon Connection underscores their shared aim of supporting independent animation art and young filmmakers from Japan. 

 Animated films and series play a major role in shaping international perceptions of the Japanese film industry. A vibrant independent short film scene that fosters experimental young talents exists alongside major studio productions. Nippon Connection has been showcasing this diversity for many years – among other things through a cooperation with the Department of Animation at the Tokyo University of the Arts, which is based in Yokohama, Frankfurt’s partner city. 

 The award is aimed at animated short films with a maximum running time of 20 minutes that were produced between 2024 and 2026 and will have at least their German premiere at the festival. Productions from Japan or films directed by Japanese filmmakers are eligible. From all submissions, Nippon Connection will curate three competition programs, from which an international jury will select the winning film. The prize is endowed with €2,000 and will be awarded during the Nippon Connection Film Festival. 

 Submissions are now open and can be made via the festival website NipponConnection.com/entry until February 1, 2026. 

 新設：アニメーション作品のためのコンペティション ニッポン・アニメーション・ショート賞 

ワコムが日本映画祭ニッポン・コネクションにて初の短編アニメーション賞を協賛 

 第26回ニッポン・コネクション映画祭（2026年6月2日〜7日、ドイツ・フランクフルト・アム・マイン）では、新たに短編アニメーション作品を対象としたコンペティション「Nippon Animation Shorts Award（ニッポン・アニメーション・ショート賞）」を創設します。本賞は、若手クリエイターの育成を目的としており、ワコムとの協力のもと設立されました。 本映画祭は、会期中に日本からの短編・長編合わせて約100作品を上映し、2万人以上が来場する世界最大級の日本映画プラットフォームです。 新設される同賞は、ニッポン・コネクションが長年注力してきた「新しい才能の発掘」と「革新的な映像表現」への取り組みを、さらに強化するものです。 

 「インディペンデントアニメーション※は、創造的なイノベーションを推し進める強力な原動力です。若いアーティストたちが、より広く認められ評価されるよう支援するために、『ニッポン・アニメーション・ショート・アワード』が新設されました。これをきっかけとして、新たな才能の成長の歩みに寄り添えることを大変うれしく思います」

 — ワコム 代表取締役社長兼CEO 井出 信孝 

 世界中のアニメーションスタジオで使用されているデジタルペンタブレットや液晶ペンタブレットを展開するワコムは、クリエイティブ分野における次世代育成に積極的に取り組んでいます。今回のニッポン・コネクションとのパートナーシップは、日本発のインディペンデント・アニメーションと若手映画制作者を支援するという、双方が共有する理念を体現するものです。

 アニメーション作品やシリーズは、日本の映像文化への国際的評価において重要な役割を果たしています。大手スタジオ作品だけでなく、若手アーティストが活躍するインディペンデント短編アニメーションのシーンも活況です。 

 ニッポン・コネクションでは、フランクフルト市の姉妹都市でもある、横浜市に拠点を置く東京藝術大学大学院映像研究科アニメーション専攻との協力をはじめ、日本の多様なアニメーション作品を長年紹介してきました。 

 本賞の対象となるのは、上映時間20分以内で、2024〜2026年に製作され、本映画祭において、少なくともドイツ初上映となる短編アニメーション作品です。日本で製作された作品、または日本人監督による作品が応募可能です。応募されたすべての作品から、映画祭が3つのプログラムを編成し、審査員がその中からグランプリ作品を選出します。賞金は2,000ユーロで、ニッポン・コネクション映画祭期間中に授与されます。 

 応募は映画祭公式サイト NipponConnection.com/entry にて2026年2月1日まで受け付けています。