Midnight Eye has a fascinating and informative article on early Japanese animation, showcased at this year's Pusan International Fantastic Film Festival (PIFan):

In a year which is surely going to be remembered as a high-water mark for Japanese animation, PIFan decided to celebrate this most popular aspect of Japanese pop culture not only with screenings of Mamoru Oshii's recent cyberpunk stunner Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, but also a bold selection of seven programs screened under the title Pioneers of Japanese Animation: From Tekobo to Momotaro. I say bold, because most of the films screened were made during the time when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945). Given that Korea only lifted a long-term ban on Japanese cultural imports in 1998, the Korean reaction to these works was surprisingly appreciative.

Look out for the discussion of the intricate links between wartime propaganda and Japanese animation in the 1930's and 40's, in Part 2 of the writeup.