View source for Hyokkori Hyoutan-jima (partially found Toei anime film based on Japanese puppet show; 1967)

{{InfoboxLost
|title=<center>Hyokkori Hyoutan-jima</center>
|image=GourdIsland2.jpg
|imagecaption=Flyer for the film, credits to Twitter user @NelsonWolfe5
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
}}
'''''Hyokkori Hyoutan-jima''''' ''(ひょっこりひょうたん島, Hyokkori Gourd Island, The Madcap Island)'' is an anime film made by Toei Animation and premiered theatrically on July 7th, 1967<ref>[https://lineup.toei-anim.co.jp/ja/movie/movie_hyoutan/ Official Toei page for ''Hyokkori Hyoutan-jima'' anime film.] Retrieved 04 April '23</ref>. The film is based on the 60's puppet show of the same name which aired from 1964 - 1967 and was very popular then<ref>[https://fanboy.com/2008/12/pop-up-gourd-island-classic-japanese-stop-motion-animation.html 2008 Fanboy.com blog that has information on the original puppet show the film is derived from.]  Retrieved 04 April '23</ref>. The film reportedly has a runtime of 61 minutes.<ref name="toei">[http://web.archive.org/web/20030711190024/http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/oldies/theater/012/index.html Archived page of Toei Animation that lists the runtime of ''Hyokkori Hyoutan-jima'' anime film.] Retrieved 04 April '23</ref><ref name="morial">[http://animemorial.net/ja/m020-%E3%81%B2%E3%82%87%E3%81%A3%E3%81%93%E3%82%8A%E3%81%B2%E3%82%87%E3%81%86%E3%81%9F%E3%82%93%E5%B3%B6 animemorial.net page for  ''Hyokkori Hyoutan-jima'' anime film.] Retrieved 04 April '23</ref><ref name="ANN">[https://animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=1465 AnimeNewsNetwork page for ''Hyokkori Hyoutan-jima'' anime film.] Retrieved 04 April '23</ref><ref name="eigen">[http://db.eiren.org/contents/03000009634.html Eiren.org page for ''Hyokkori Hyoutan-jima'' anime film.] Retrieved 04 April '23</ref>
==Plot==
The film's plot is known to be about the people of a drifting island called "Gourd Island", an island in the ocean that has no stable place and always drifts around whenever the ocean and waves are. After the residents of Gourd Island stumbled and crash into the "Kingdom of Burdocia", a kingdom full of dogs that despises humans, the kingdom engages war with the residents of Gourd Island. Gourd Island, with the residents in panic, the self-proclaimed leader known as Don Gobacho tried and talked with the leader of this dog kingdom, but said talk went terribly as Don Gobacho was caught by Bull Ambassador Pitts of the Kingdom of Burdocia<ref name="eigen" />.

With the dogs already having all their weapons, cannons, and tanks on Gourd Island, the residents of Gourd Island disguised themselves as horses to infiltrate the dog kingdom and retrieve Don Gobacho. The retrieval was successful and the citizens of Gourd Island started fighting back against the dogs. The dogs eventually surrendered after they realized they couldn't stand an inch against the residents, but their leader, the Secretary of Defense Pitts, won't accept the eventual surrender and would fight back by himself on a one-on-one duel<ref name="eigen" />.

==Staff==
The film was directed by Taiji Yabushita<ref name="toei" /><ref name="morial" />, with the original story for the film and screenplay by Hisashi Inoue and Morihisa Yamamoto<ref name="toei" /><ref name="morial" />.
===Cast===
*Arihiro Fujimura as Don Gabacho<ref name="ANN" />
*Toshie Kusunoki as Sunday-sensei<ref name="ANN" />
*Chinatsu Nakayama as Hiroshi<ref name="ANN" /><ref name="toei" />
*Eiko Masuyama as Teke<ref name="ANN" />
*Junpei Takiguchi as Lion<ref name="ANN" />
*Kazuo Kumakura as Torahige<ref name="ANN" /><ref name="toei" />
*Kyoko Emi as Chappi<ref name="ANN" />
*Makiko Ito as Dump<ref name="ANN" />
*Toshiko Fujita as Kid Boya<ref name="ANN" />
*Yui Yamazaki Marshal as Secretary of Defense Pitts<ref name="morial" />
*Kyoji as Machine Gun Dandy<ref name="morial" />
==Availability==
'''Strangely, the film never received any physical release and it is the only media in the ''Hyokkori Hyoutan-jima'' franchise to never had any physical release'''. According to its Wikipedia page, the studio who made the film, Toei Animation, released a LaserDisc in 1993 containing every trailer for their films that they had made, but doesn't contain the trailer for ''Hyokkori Hyoutan-jima'', though this statement is uncited. The film is considered not much of a "lost" work however as screenshots from the film were used in the follow-up children's picture book about the film released months later, with the same plot as the film. The film also was broadcasted on television on various channels in Japan 20 to 40 years ago but had never been rebroadcast again due to the nature of the film, according to testimonies<ref>[https://twitter.com/video_vhs/status/1069583229043138560 Twitter thread from @video_vhs with many people claiming that the film was broadcasted on TV and never rebroadcast again] Retrieved 04 April '23</ref>. 

Additionally, there had been reports that the film had resurfaced online<ref>[https://reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/llmlip/obscure_toei_animation_film/ r/LostMedia post: "Obscure Toei Animation Film" by u/LittlePrince-6692.] Retrieved 04 April '23</ref>. In one instance, an Ameba blog post from Japan that was posted in 2010 confirms that the film was posted on YouTube once, but said video has and had been unavailable for years, either deleted, private, or terminated.<ref>[https://ameblo.jp/mituo-papapa/entry-10440465494.html  2010 Ameba blog post about the 1967 anime film being posted online.] Retrieved 04 April '23</ref>. A few images from the YouTube upload had mysteriously resurfaced and are still available<ref>[https://twitter.com/NelsonWolfe5/status/1574546794880831488 @NelsonWolfe5 Twitter post on screenshots of the film from a YouTube upload.] Retrieved 04 April '23</ref>.

There also have been rare occasions that the film was auctioned on Japanese auction sites<ref>[https://aucview.aucfan.com/yahoo/f1029439456/ An instance of the film  resurfacing on aucfree.com] Retrieved 04 April '23</ref><ref>[https://aucfree.com/items/k383684301 Another case of the film resurfacing on aucfree.com, now currently available.] Retrieved 04 April '23</ref>, with the recent one being in mid-2017<ref>[https://twitter.com/NelsonWolfe5/status/1629689150205992962 @NelsonWolfe5 Twitter post on an auction for the film.] Retrieved 04 April '23</ref>.

Few footages from the film are available online such as its opening and end credits that were recorded from both its theatrical master tape and TV broadcasts, but the full film hasn't been publicly available. Materials that can be seen online includes resurfaced newspaper advertisements, stills, screenshots, posters, and the like.

==Gallery==
===Screenshots===
<gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
GourdIsland3.jpg|Redrawn screenshot from the film, used in the follow-up children's book for the film
GourdIsland4.jpg|Another redrawn screenshot from the film, used in the follow-up children's book for the film
GourdIslandSS1.jpg|Screenshots from the film (1/4)
GourdIslandSS2.jpg|Screenshots from the film (2/4)
GourdIslandSS3.jpg|Screenshots from the film (3/4)
GourdIsland5.jpg|Screenshots from the film (4/4)
GourdIslandSS4.jpg|Credits from the film.
GourdIslandBlackandWhite.jpg|Black and white screenshot from the film.
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
<gallery mode=packed heights=315px>
GourdIslandAD1.jpg| An advertisement for the film shown in an advertisement for the 1967 Toei Manga Film Festival<ref>[https://onyomugan3.tumblr.com/post/16735940267/%E3%82%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%82%AB%E3%83%A9%E3%83%BC%E3%81%A7%E6%9D%B1%E6%98%A0%E3%81%BE%E3%82%93%E3%81%8C%E3%81%BE%E3%81%A4%E3%82%8A-1967%E5%B9%B4 Tumblr post from onyomugan3 that states the film was advertised in the 1967 Toei Manga Film Festival] Retrieved 04 April '23</ref>
GourdIslandAD2.png|Horizontal movie poster for the film.
GourdIsland6.png|Advertisement for the film in a book.
GourdIslandAD3.jpg|A different movie poster for the film, advertised for the 1967 Toei Manga Film Festival.
</gallery>
===Others===
<gallery mode=packed heights=300px>
GourdIsland1.jpg|A really long vertical poster for the film.
GourdIslandTAPE.jpg|Auctioned film strip of the film, currently available/possibly sold.
</gallery>
===Footage===
{{Video|perrow  =2
  |service1     =youtube
  |id1          =ju6GFSPvSPo
  |description1 =All known resurfaced footage from the film.
  |service2     =youtube
  |id2          =BuPN9wnwvOs
  |description2 =Opening scene and end credits of the film.
}}
==External Links==
*[https://myanimelist.net/anime/22887/Hyokkori_Hyoutan_Shima MyAnimeList page for the film.]
*[https://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=2207 aniDB page for the film.]
*[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061797/ iMDB page for the film.]
*[https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%B2%E3%82%87%E3%81%A3%E3%81%93%E3%82%8A%E3%81%B2%E3%82%87%E3%81%86%E3%81%9F%E3%82%93%E5%B3%B6#%E3%82%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%82%AB%E3%83%A9%E3%83%BC%E3%81%A7%EF%BC%81%E6%9D%B1%E6%98%A0%E3%81%BE%E3%82%93%E3%81%8C%E3%81%BE%E3%81%A4%E3%82%8A_%E3%81%B2%E3%82%87%E3%81%A3%E3%81%93%E3%82%8A%E3%81%B2%E3%82%87%E3%81%86%E3%81%9F%E3%82%93%E5%B3%B6 Japanese Wikipedia page for the film.]
*[https://twitter.com/NelsonWolfe5/status/1468374435824611333 Screencaps from the film, uploaded and credits to @NelsonWolfe5]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Lost animation]]
[[Category:Lost films]]
[[Category:Partially found media]]