Saiyuuki: Son Gokuu Monogatari

Released in 1960 by Toei Animation, Saiyuuki: Son Gokuu Monogatari, known in English as Alakazam the Great, stands as a landmark in the history of Japanese animation. It was commissioned by Toei as a direct attempt to challenge the dominance of American feature-length animation, particularly the work of Walt Disney. The production team, including director Taiji Yabushita and a young Hayao Miyazaki as a junior animator, sought to adapt the classic Chinese literary epic Journey to the West into a vibrant, musical adventure suitable for international export.

The film's visual design was heavily influenced by Osamu Tezuka, who served as a creative consultant. His signature character aesthetics, which lean toward rounded, expressive forms, defined the look of Son Gokuu and his companions. While the film was well-regarded in Japan for its technical ambition and sweeping orchestral score, its international reception in the United States was marked by significant re-editing and the inclusion of a new soundtrack by Lee Halpern to better suit Western audience expectations at the time.