The Little Hero

1970 1h 29m JA

🤯

9.0

MASTERPIECE

★9.0TMDB · 1

Family

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A five year old boy leaves his mother and grandparents to see his father who has gone to work in Osaka.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Ken Okamoto
Ken Utsui
Bokuzen Hidari
Tanie Kitabayashi
Chōchō Miyako
Junko Yashiro
Naomi Kobayashi
Akane Kawasaki

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Noriaki Yuasa
Writers: Nisan Takahashi
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Noriaki Yuasa, shot by Fujio Morita. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Shunsuke Kikuchi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kanji Suganuma shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ken Okamoto and Ken Utsui and Bokuzen Hidari carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0375619 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Noriaki Yuasa directs. Fujio Morita behind the camera. Shunsuke Kikuchi scores. Kanji Suganuma cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
256 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Noriaki Yuasa, shot by Fujio Morita. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Shunsuke Kikuchi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Kanji Suganuma shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Ken Okamoto and Ken Utsui and Bokuzen Hidari carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0375619 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.