Two Animation Veterans From Japan

A couple of Japanese cartoon icons, one a well-loved franchise and one a man, and both with new releases:

"Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess," the latest creation of animation king Hayao Miyazaki, is a 12-minute story about two characters running away from a witch named Baba Yaga ...

The motion picture is a live-action feature based on a sturdy cartoon series and several long-form animated sequels.

The "Space Battleship Yamato" franchise ... began life in 1974 as a TV cartoon space opera then generated a hit animated film ... [The movie] is one of the biggest domestic releases this year ... One reason was the ¥2 billion budget, a huge amount for a Japanese film, much of which has been lavished on effects. ...

We've discussed "Battleship Yamato" around here previously, but since it arrives on the big screen December 1st, we thought we would mention it again.