The Lazy Fox
"Sanae Yamamoto's lazy fox short."
Keys: Space play/pause · ←/→ 10s · F fullscreen · M mute · </> speed
About this film
Sanae Yamamoto's 1941 wartime cartoon Namakegitsune contrasts a partying fox with a hardworking tanuki family that farms through summer and harvest. Starving in winter, the fox fakes a fire to raid their storehouse, triggering a transformation battle of trucks, sleighs, and aerial anti-aircraft guns.
More about this film
About the production
Historical background
The Lazy Fox played Japan theaters. Exhibitors of the time built modern festival and archive circulation that mixed shorts, features, and live acts, so a clear premise helped The Lazy Fox travel between cities and exchange markets.
Why this film matters
Archivists and revival programmers still cite The Lazy Fox when tracing studio habits, casting pools, and the visual rhetoric audiences once took for granted. Even modest surviving prints help map how The Lazy Fox fit beside competing releases of its day.
What critics said
Trade coverage around its release year discussed The Lazy Fox for pacing, clarity, and program fit rather than blockbuster grosses. Later writers value it as evidence of period style and as a reference point beside other films from the same era.
Film restoration
Survival status for The Lazy Fox varies by archive holdings; check linked streaming and archive sources for the best available print.
Where to watch
- Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sanae%20Yamamoto-%20The%20Lazy%20Fox%20(1941).ogv