Synopsis
To win the hand of a princess, a courageous hero must slay a fearsome dragon and seize its enchanted gem. When he returns, however, Baghdad is under assault from foreign forces. Now he must harness the gem's magic to protect the city from this new threat.
Background
This is Noburo Ofuji's official debut work and the first animated film made using chiyogami paper. Dangobei (sometimes read "Dango no Hyoue"), the main character in Chiyogami Eiga, appears in this film for the first time. The story is about a cowardly boy who grows through overcoming difficulties - a theme consistent through the entire series of Chiyogami Eiga. The title, Burglars of “Baghdad” Castle, created after the American movie The Thief of Bagdad (1924), is itself quite interesting. The original was three reels of 35mm film with a total length of 666 meters, lasting 30 min. (at 18fps). The existing film is a 16mm digest version (Marvel Graph) released by the Jujiya Kogataeiga Division.