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Taro the Dragon Boy | 
 enlarge | Directors: Peter Fernandez, Kiriro Urayama
Actors: Kazuo Kitamura, Sayuri Yoshinaga, Mīna Tominaga, Junya Kato, Kazuo Kumakura
Studio: Discotek Media
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $11.54
You Save: $8.41 (42%)
New (25) Used (7) from $11.54
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 38231
Format: Animated, Color, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Japanese (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 75 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 70003D
UPC: 875707000390
EAN: 0875707000390
ASIN: B000CCD242
Theatrical Release Date: 1979
Release Date: January 31, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Brand New Factory Sealed- We ship to APO/FPO's.
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Product Description
Lazy and selfish Taro loves to eat sleep and wrestle with the forest animals. He has little direction or inspiration in his life. That is until a wizard passing through the forest one day bestows young Taro with a magical potion. Upon drinking the potion he gains the strength of a hundred men!However there is a catch: he may only summon this power when he is helping others. Taro soon learns that his long lost mother was transformed into a dragon as punishment for her greediness. He sets forth with a sense of purpose to locate his mother and free her from the spell. All the while trying to help the peasants of his village as well as other colorful creatures that inhabit the mountain. Inspired by an ancient Japanese folklore Taro the Dragon Boy is an enchanting animated masterpiece!Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ANIMATION/ADULT SWIM UPC: 875707000390 Manufacturer No: 70003D
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 I Love This Movie! June 8, 2008
R. Long (Kennett Square, PA USA)
I purchased this on a whim and was so glad I did. Yes, the animation isn't up to today's standards, but do you hate a Cab Callaway recording because he didn't have today's technology? I think not. The story is delightful and was enjoyed by all members of my household, age 4 to 40. Even the teens watched it several times. Taro has all the classic elements of the folk tale with plenty of surprises, little jokes and side stories along the way. It is definitely quirky and for those with an odd sense of humor.
lush and beautiful March 8, 2008
echoes of empires (San Francisco, CA USA)
I happened across this dvd (w/original Japanese language) in a used record store and thought I'd give it a try - and boy, it's one of my favorite 'kids' movies' hands down (and I've seen so many!). It's based on a few traditional Japanese folk stories that are interwoven. I found the animation gorgeous and the story itself full of wonder, just very enchanting and beautiful, and the music complimented every scene. If you like folk and fairy tales, or simply beautiful and moving animation, this is great.
 taro the dragon boy (disappointed) January 2, 2008
J. Luke (UT)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
It's an okay movie, the animation is ancient and looks terrible, at least compared with today's great anime such as Howls moving castle.
Story line: Taro is a boy who goes off in search of his mother which was turned into a dragon for her selfishness of eating all the fish on a mountain. In his journey he helps save the people by working hard and planting enough rice to feed everyone. He also saves his mother and helps build a village where everyone will have enough to eat.
What's wrong with the movie? A few nude scenes, which are kind of stupid since they have nothing to do with progressing the story; but it's not offensive. The character is annoying, at least the voice over is. The character design is inconsistent at best. The animals are not correct in their walking patterns or in their structure. They should have looked at Bambi to learn how to draw a deer. The story line has no main depth. The color choice is depressing at best. Dark gray colors for a watercolor background. I guess if you grew up with a movie like this you'd like it and wouldn't care what I said. But if your picky and like quality animation and story telling don't purchase Taro the boy dragon. If you want something great Purchase a Hayao Miyazaki movie such as Howl's moving castle, Spirited Away, The cat returns, Princess Mononoke, My neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service.
Fantastic Story May 8, 2007
Cadance (Los Angeles)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
It's a beautifully drawn Japanese story about a boy who learns how not to be selfish and decides to find his long lost mother with the help of animals, people and magic creatures he meets along his journey. Selfishness and it's consequences are the main focus of this movie, but it is also a story of love between a mother and child so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes when I first saw it in the movie theater at age 9. Today I am 36 and was thrilled to find it on DVD for my 4-year-old girl. Now we enjoy it together and she loves to teach me the theme song which she knows by heart. I most definitely recommend this to anyone 3 years and older.
An anime classic! February 16, 2005
Christopher Bubb (Saline, MI United States)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
Although this film was released on home video in the U.S. in 1984 as "Taro the Dragon Boy" (five years after it appeared in Japanese theaters in 1979), not many people seem to remember it, which is a shame, as it is one of the best anime films I've ever seen. I rented the English-dubbed version, helmed by the legendary Peter Fernandez (also worked on the English dubs of "Speed Racer" and "Superbook"), on video from my video store on several occasions as a child, and was awestruck. Taro is a remarkable young man - he possesses immense strength and an enormous appetite, but he also has a heart of gold, and the object of his quest is to find his mother, Katsu, who was changed into a dragon many years ago. (One scene which made a big impression on me is the scene in which Taro and the villagers are feasting after Taro defeated a demon who was threatening the village, and Taro - who has an appetite to rival Garfield's - can't enjoy the celebration because he keeps thinking of the folks back in his home village who have nothing to eat. That shows what a pure, good heart he has.) This film holds up very well even to this day. The animation is remarkably fluid given that the film is now over a quarter-century old, and the music is also very well-done. There are even vocal songs, which were dubbed into English for the U.S. release along with the dialogue, and they're also pretty good, even in English; the dialogue is also well-written and well-dubbed. The ending will absolutely have you in tears. If you can find a used copy of this film on VHS, by all means pick it up. It's a real classic. (Incidentally, despite the Japanese title, "Tatsu no ko Taro," this animation was NOT produced by Tatsunoko Production, but by Toei Animation, which later became internationally famous for "Dragonball," "Sailor Moon," and "One Piece.")
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