Burglars of Baghdad Castle

Synopsis

In order to win the hand of a princess, a man must defeat an evil dragon and claim its treasured magic stone. Upon his return, Baghdad has been invaded and he must use the stone to defeat his new enemy. (Source: AniDB, edited)

Background

This is Noburo Ofuji's official debut work and the first animated film made using chiyogami paper. Dangobei (sometimes read "Dango no Hyoue"), the main character in Chiyogami Eiga, appears in this film for the first time. The story is about a cowardly boy who grows through overcoming difficulties - a theme consistent through the entire series of Chiyogami Eiga. The title, Burglars of “Baghdad” Castle, created after the American movie The Thief of Bagdad (1924), is itself quite interesting. The original was three reels of 35mm film with a total length of 666 meters, lasting 30 min. (at 18fps). The existing film is a 16mm digest version (Marvel Graph) released by the Jujiya Kogataeiga Division. (Source: Japanese Animated Film Classics)

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