Some nice screenshots of Toei Animation's 1971 movie, Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves. I'm happy that we finally have a fansub of the movie, with the correct widescreen ratio. Previously, the only available version of this movie was the VHS of the old MGM dubbed Ali Baba's Revenge. That dub is actually very good, since this is basically a Western-style chase cartoon. It may as well be an episode of Tom and Jerry, or Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Ali Baba came and went without much fanfare in 1971. A short time later, Hiroshi Okawa, the founder of Toei, the man who dreamed of creating a "Disney of the East," died. Soon Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki would leave the studio to rejoin Yasuo Otsuka at A Productions, and the rest of the crew began their migration in earnest. There would be one more good movie from Toei, 1972's Puss in Boots 2, and after that, everyone would be gone. The era of Toei Doga's Golden Age was over.
At least they went out on a good note. It's amazing to me that the classic Toei films are so obscure today. Animation fans owe it to themselves to discover these great, pioneering cartoons.
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