Toei Animation

Toei Animation is a Japanese animation studio whose modern identity grew from Toei Doga, the animation division created after Toei Company acquired Japan Animated Films in 1956. The predecessor, Nihon Doga Eiga, had been established in 1948, and Toei pursued feature animation partly as a Japanese counterpart to Disney. Its first color animated feature, Hakujaden (The White Snake Enchantress), premiered in 1958; its American release title was Panda and the Magic Serpent. The studio later adopted the corporate name Toei Animation in 1998. Early features included Magic Boy (1959), Alakazam the Great (1960), and The Little Prince and the Eight Headed Dragon (1963). In television, Toei Animation became a major producer through adaptations and original series. It animated the 1968–1971 GeGeGe no Kitaro television series, based on Shigeru Mizuki’s manga, and made Cyborg 009 (1968), derived from Shotaro Ishinomori’s work. The studio’s long association with manga publisher Shueisha helped produce television versions of Dr. Slump (1981), Dragon Ball (1986), Dragon Ball Z (1989), and later Dragon Ball installments. One Piece is among its most consequential productions: Toei Animation began broadcasting the television adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s manga in October 1999, and it has continued as an ongoing series. The company also produced the 1992–1997 Sailor Moon television anime, based on Naoko Takeuchi’s manga, and the Digimon television franchise, beginning with Digimon Adventure in 1999. Since 2004, its Pretty Cure (PreCure) franchise has generated annual television series and theatrical films, with Toei Animation handling animation production. Toei Animation’s catalogue includes television and film work across several generations, but particular titles have measurable cultural milestones. Dragon Ball Z reached 291 television episodes, while the original Dragon Ball ran for 153. One Piece broadcast its 1,000th episode in November 2021. One Piece Film Red, released in 2022, became a major Japanese box-office success and was distributed internationally by several partners. Although closely associated with its parent company Toei Company, Toei Animation operates as a separate animation producer. It is headquartered in Nakano, Tokyo, and maintains overseas operations including Toei Animation Inc. in Los Angeles and Toei Animation Europe in Paris. In 2018, it opened the Toei Animation Museum in Tokyo’s Nerima ward, presenting materials and exhibits from its productions. The studio has also faced modern production disruption: a March 2022 ransomware attack affected its internal systems and temporarily delayed several television broadcasts, including episodes of One Piece and Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai.