The Flying Phantom Ship

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The Flying Phantom Ship

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Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am thrilled to announce we are returning to the venerable archives of Toei Doga, this time exploring the 1969 feature Flying Phantom Ship. By the end of the ‘60s, the methods of film production had already changed significantly within the young animation studio; from the humble beginnings of Hakujaden being key animated largely by two artists, the Toei team had expanded to the point where they were generally producing two animated films at the same time.

This means we sadly won’t see Yasuji Mori’s hand on Flying Phantom Ship, but never fear – we’ve got Hayao Miyazaki here to console us, who was apparently responsible for designing and animating this film’s giant robot. Miyazaki is here accompanied by a battery of Toei mainstays, from original veterans like Reiko Okuyama to key Puss ‘n Boots collaborators like Sadao Kikuchi. Additionally, animation director Yoichi Kotabe is a legend even setting aside his Toei Doga work; he’d follow Miyazaki from Toei to first Heidi, where he’d serve as character designer and animation director, and then onward to Nausicaa, before “settling down” to become the animation supervisor of decades worth of Pokémon cartoons. The further we travel through Toei Doga’s catalog, the more obvious its creators’ various post-Toei adventures become – but for now, let’s savor the pleasure of seeing all of them in one place, as we journey through one more classic!

Flying Phantom Ship

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We open with a lonely foghorn crying out across the sea, a ship concealed by mists in the distance. This’ll be interesting; Toei’s films often include flourishes of horror, but I’ve yet to see them tackle something like a dedicated ghost story. I wonder if the conclusion of Puss ‘n Boots proved to be something like a trial run for this film, with its exceedingly haunted castle and skeletons

I recall Yasuo Otsuka attempted to make a spooky skeleton for the much earlier Magic Boy, but his realistic interpretation of a fully articulated bone structure ended up coming across more as funny or endearing, prompting laughter among theater audiences. A pity we won’t get to see him take another stab at horror here

The narrator tells us of a ghost ship that is frequently seen before disasters

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Lovely textured backgrounds realizing this creaking metal behemoth, making it a pleasure simply to slowly pan across them through the credits. In the era of digital background design, it is much rarer that a production can engage and impress simply through slow pans like this; frankly, it often feels like modern shows have to distract from a full appreciation of their backgrounds, lest the mechanical seams of the art design become too apparent

I’m impressed with how vivid this scenery looks in spite of the limited color palette. Sorta like Angel’s Egg; all variations on blues and grays, but all the more evocative for it

Welp there’s our first skull, making sure to keep a close eye on the helm

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Is it alive!? Nope, there’s just a crab inside, complete with some very convincing crab animation

We transition to get our first glimpse of the film’s human protagonist, and it’s quite a shock! This boy and his family’s designs are utterly unlike anything in the earlier Toei catalog. Rather than either the traditional painting-reminiscent designs of Toei’s earliest films, or the more modernism-inspired designs of Little Prince, these characters feel far more indebted to contemporary, Tezuka-derivative manga character designs. I suppose that’s no surprise given the film is an adaptation of a comic by Shotaro Ishinomori (Cyborg 009 and Kamen Rider’s creator), but it’s nonetheless a bit of a shock to see designs that undercut the quasi-timelessness of Toei’s earlier films

“I sure goofed up last time. I brought home a frozen fish!” That sense of clear temporal place is further bolstered by the very modern concerns of our heroes

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The designs are pleasant and expressive nonetheless. Compared to Toei’s previous characters, you can tell these were initially created for still manga panels; there’s far more personality embedded in the basic shapes of their faces, like this father’s strong jaw and the lines beneath his eyes. In contrast, the earlier Toei Doga character designs, especially for the protagonists, tend to stick to more simplified, rounded shapes, which make them easier to animate. Motion is the vehicle through which previous Toei Doga protagonists conveyed their personality, whereas these designs are intended to convey personality even in a still frame

These characters are having altogether too lovely of a family trip, I imagine something terrible will happen soon

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This dog’s array of laughing faces reflects this film’s odd position between limited and full animation; rather than the fluid expression shifts of earlier films, he transitions between a sequence of still expressions that are each held for about a second

“Play with your junk like a real dog!” Rude

Suddenly, a car goes through the railing of a cliffside road! Our boy springs into action

The car has no driver, but the passenger is Mr. Kuroshio, who owns a variety of local businesses

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Our boy’s name is Hayato. His energetic movements call to mind Horus, and feel like a natural precursor to Future Boy Conan. Wild seeing so much of what made Miyazaki’s next era great here in these foundational texts

The woman who was in the car states that a skeleton appeared on the road. Hayato’s father helpfully suggests they retire to a nearby haunted house

Really just min-maxing our horror staples here, and I’m all for it. Horror in animation is a tricky business owing to the inherent dramatic distance of the medium; it’s hard to feel like you’re genuinely vulnerable when you’re clearly watching characters in an invented, animated world. The easier route is leading the audience to feel fear for the characters on-screen, as in brutal stories like Shiki, but here I’m just happy to admire whatever wild animation brings these ghouls to life

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A crack of lightning serves as our transition to the haunted house’s gates. This transition somewhat echoes the flashes of light used for key moments in Puss ‘n Boots, while this perspective shot at the gate is a natural way to draw the audience more directly into the action, framing the sequence as if we ourselves are walking into the house

Oh man, love this overhead shot with all these hanging willows. Terrific use of negative space, making our heroes seem all the smaller due to their confinement in the bottom left corner of the frame, with these branches reaching out towards them like malicious fingers

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The dog Jack once again gets much of the most playful expression work. Animation that is in and of itself horrifying is a rare feat; I imagine the mutations at the end of Akira, or the morphing nightmares of Magnetic Rose. More important for horror is scene-setting, which means the background artists and storyboarders here are bearing the bulk of the tonal drama, while the animators work on tone-balancing flourishes like Jack’s goofy reactions

Yep, more goofy Jack expressions as he elects to help Dad search for firewood. It reminds me again of how in earlier Toei Doga films, the somber drama often meant these legendary animators were mostly busying themselves realizing tonally discordant animal mascot shenanigans. Otsuka’s preferred approach to animation demands a film like Puss ‘n Boots, where playful movement is in fact the point of the feature

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The wide gulf between how Ishinomori draws male and female characters reminds me of Leiji Matsumoto; functional dot eyes and simplified forms for boys, luxuriously detailed glimmering eyes for girls

More smart employment of negative space as Hayato looks for towels, presenting this mansion’s hallways as vast and impenetrable, Hayato’s candle merely a flicker in the darkness

In one standout cut, the darkness practically reaches out to grasp them, much like the branches outside

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But then, a skeleton! More interesting limited animation cuts here, with our heroes’ flight conveyed as repeated movement cycles overlaid over a transparent skull

It seems clear this film was intended as a less resource-intensive film than its predecessors, and it’s interesting seeing a Toei film straddle the line between film and TV production methods. The fact that this is a horror film works in its favor in that regard – as I said, horror is more about atmosphere than motion, more about anticipation than execution, meaning evocative backgrounds and strong sound design can do a lot of the work that would necessarily be realized through animation in another story

Kuroshio wakes, and Hayato’s father introduces himself as Arashiyama

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Yeah, the film can frequently get away with still held shots as spooky noises rise in volume. Economical trick!

The skeleton captain appears outside the window! I’m instantly reminded of Slint’s “Good Morning, Captain,” because I will always be an indie rock nerd

The skeleton informs us that ten years ago, a tragedy befell him. His crew were beaten to death, he was poisoned, and his wife and child were led to his ship, which was then set on fire. A real bummer all around

He also says he’s still seeking revenge, which I assume means Kuroshio was responsible for his misfortune

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The group is joined by Mr. Haniwa, the “Chief of Defense.” Amused by this world’s delightfully children-oriented perception of adult jobs

Ooh, loving these sleek modern building and car designs as we move past the moment of crisis, and return to the big city. Lots of simplified shapes and rounded metal forms, which serve as a strong contrast with the textured, organic look of the haunted house

Apparently the Phantom Ship has already taken down ten transport vessels. The perils of shipping, I guess

Hayato informs his father of a challenge his schoolmates are participating in: collect 1,000 Boa Juice caps to win a trip in a submarine

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And holy shit, suddenly a tank drives over the traffic jam. Luscious mechanical animation as this overwhelming machine crushes a line of cars; with so little time yet such talented animators, I imagine this film will continue to offer discordant shifts from limited animation to impressive displays like this

“I am the Golem! The Phantom Ship’s messenger of death!” Sure, say whatever you need to say to justify a giant robot’s appearance in a ghost ship narrative. Regardless, I’m just happy to see Miyazaki having fun – in fact, this robot’s rampage feels strongly reminiscent of Gulliver’s Journey to the Moon’s final robot battles, which I believe also involved heavy Miyazaki contributions

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Love the animation of these buildings crumbling before this creature. Even within this one sequence, the contrast between the fluidity of that destruction and the repeated cuts of this one surface-to-air missile launcher embody this film’s lopsided approach to animation

Also like the rough, sketchy linework used for the frantic motion of this debris falling on our heroes. Apparently Yoshinori Kanada was greatly inspired by this whole golem sequence; strange to think Miyazaki was already an inspiring predecessor to the next generation back in the ’60s when he’s still directing movies today

Hayato’s house was also destroyed by the robot, er, golem

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Oh no, his mother was actually killed in the collapse! Genuinely painful moment as he wails over her body and blames her for leaving him behind. I’d lament the lack of Yasuji Mori being here to really make this animation sting, but frankly, Hayato is an exceedingly un-Mori-like character in all regards; these clumsy, staggered movements suit him much better

And with his father near death as well, he reveals that Hayato was actually found washed up on the shore ten years ago, and was then adopted by his current parents

He also reveals that Hayato possesses a photo of his birth parents

His father then immediately dies. Jeez, what a grim turn!

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I mentioned this film’s “lack of timelessness” relative to the other Toei Doga films, and that feels even more apparent given these new narrative twists. The boy who must make his own future, having just received a hint from his dying father, is a staple of classic manga that would carry on through Tomino, Anno, and beyond, while these scenes of urban desolation inevitably echo imagery of the atomic bomb’s aftermath. Toei might have been largely seeking to compete with Disney, but Ishinomori was addressing the world around him

“Stop acting like you’re better than me! I don’t mind being on my own!” Hayato offering some very human responses to this tragedy, rebuffing Jack to avoid grappling with his own feelings

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They reconcile over his mother’s forlorn shoe. Kids of this generation couldn’t really keep loss at a distance; tragedy of an unimaginable scale was just a collective assumption of their childhood, prompting a premature understanding of grief and despair that would carry on into the art they produced

We pick up at Kuroshio’s manor, where he offers to let Hayato stay. His wife mentions that “our son would be just about your age if he were alive,” so that seems like a clue

Hayato desires revenge against the ship and its foul golem

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A news brief on the continuing disaster is interrupted by a commercial for Boa Juice. “What a stupid time for a commercial!” This film is definitely infused with an uncommonly sharp comedic edge for a Toei Doga feature, which I assume is also Ishinomori’s influence

The Phantom Ship appears in Tokyo’s harbor, and actually seems to engage in battle with the golem! What is happening!?

Oh my god, the Phantom Ship is also equipped with secret missile bays, alongside some kind of… lightning laser attack? Fantastic stuff

And the golem crashes into the harbor! A great victory for the phantom ship, which was apparently tired of this golem ruining its good name

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Hayato follows Kuroshio into what appears to be an empty room, which is presumably his launch route for controlling the giant robot

Ooh, impressive sequence of movement into depth as Hayato rides on this mechanical chair, employing alternatingly shaded tiling on the floor to make it easy to parse the distance being crossed. As ever, the gulf between this film’s standout animation sequences and generally economy of animation is really something

Yep, the chair takes Hayato through first a secret arms factory, and then right past the giant robot. An easy thematic takeaway here, implying Japan’s post-war efforts to revitalize the economy might be concealing immediate attempts to remilitarize, in spite of the obvious cost to the common man

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Ooh, beautiful cut of a manta ray swimming beneath this moon pool. Quite the contrast between its realistic design and our boy Hayato

Kuroshio states that the Chief of Defense may have to retire due to his failure to protect the golem. A clear implication that the military exists downstream of secret moneyed interests

“Many excellent men were among the pilots, but they believed they were dying for a cause, so who’s the wiser?” The rank-and-file soldiers are also victims of capitalism’s ambitions

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“Tanks and missiles were made to kill! This has been very profitable.” “We manufacture them using tax dollars, so the more we destroy, the more money we rake in.” I apparently don’t have to spell out the themes here, the film itself is pretty intent on underlining that modern militarism is really just a mask disguising the inhumane will of capitalism

Another clever trick to create drama within still panes here, by repeatedly zooming in on the cels to create anticipation while this computer decides the Chief of Defense’s fate

Also just a fun narrative flourish, adding some suspense to what is essentially just a man being fired