Hibari no Yadogae (original) (raw)

Made in 1933, Hibari no Yadogae ("The Larks' Moving Day") was a low budget, short adaptation of one of Aesop's Fables (The Lark and the Farmer). The purpose of these early Japanese animations was to educate children through entertainment, with various easy-to-tell moral messages regarding proper behavior, values, and ethics of society. The new film medium was later turned on its head and exploited by the Japanese military in the 1940's for propaganda purposes.

As for The Lark's Moving Day, the message is short and simple: "Self-help is the best help." Depending on others to complete a task is not enough if you are not... willing to take things in hand yourself.

This short really suffers from poor production values and (I'm assuming) technological restrictions. The novelty of low FPS black and white animation wore off quickly and all that was left was the story. Lack of character names or personalities, stilted pacing, and a bland style dragged the show down considerably. That said, it did have a story, a message, and it was short.

If you want to learn about Aesop's Fables or other folk lore, I would recommend simply reading them.