This is a list of anime by release date which covers Japanese animated productions that were made between 1917–1938. Anime in Japan can be traced back to three key figures whom in the early 20th century started experimenting with paper animation. It is unknown when the first animated film was made for public viewing, but historians have tied the year 1917 as being the key date. Very few of the first animations that were made survive to this day due to the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. At one point it was even thought that all animated works made before the earthquake were lost until the discovery of two films in 2008. Production of animated works resumed again after the earthquake, and by the early/mid 1930s sound, and cel animation were starting to appear. Later in the decade, Japan went to war with China, resulting in paper needed for the war to be used sparingly. As a result, new manga stories disappeared from the public while the Japanese government stepped in to regulate what was being released through the cinemas to take its place. The mid to late 1930s saw more animated works that were propaganda-themed, as Japanese nationalism was rising in the country.

1917–1922 Japanese animation can be traced back to 1917 as a year of definitive firsts. The three key figures at the time were Ōten Shimokawa, Seitarō Kitayama, and Junichi Kouchi each contributing to making the first short films that would be known as anime. While each one of these people are respected in their own right, the status of "first animated film" remains in dispute as there is conflicting information regarding film premiere dates. According to contemporary sources of the time, an unknown titled film of Tennenshoku Katsudō Shashin premiered in January. Evidence of this comes from Kinema Record, with the July edition making specific claim to the first release occurring in January, but does not specify the title of the work. Shimokawa's film Imokawa Mukozo the Doorman is conventionally and largely claimed to be the first work, but contemporary sources portray it as the "third" film. Speculation about the error is debated, but the two now lost films and their contents have been reported by various sources allowing for a clearer picture of the early history.

The first confirmed film release occurred in the first ten days of February, with Shimokawa's . The film was produced with chalk on a blackboard, with redrawing for each frame. Shimokawa would switch to paper for later, but the exact date and work to depict the switch is unknown. Kouchi's first film also known as and premiered on June 30. This film is currently the earliest surviving work, and was only rediscovered in March 2008. Katsudō Shashin was widely reported as possibly dating to 1907, but is of unconfirmed origin and is not known to have premiered or been produced for commercial interest.

Of the animated films produced in 1918, only one surviving film called "Momotarō" remains. This particular film is notable for being the first animated film to be shown outside Japan. Another survivor after this date is an animated advertisement for soap made c.1921 that was found in 2018. There are no known animated films that were made from 1923 in existence, which could be the result of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake.

English name Japanese name Romaji Format Original Release Date Status Battle of a Monkey and a Crab 猿蟹合戦 Sarukani gassen Short Film 1917 Lost film Bumpy new picture book – Failure of a great plan 凸坊新画帳・名案の失敗 Dekobō shingachō – Meian no shippai Short Film 1917 Lost film Bunbuku kettle (Fairy-tale: Bunbuku kettle) 文福茶釜 (お伽噺・文福茶釜) Bunbuku chagama Otogibanashi-Bunbuku chagama Short Film 1917 Lost film Cat and Mice 猫と鼠 Neko to nezumi Short Film 1917 Unknown Chamebō ‒ Air gun (aka: "Chame's air gun") 茶目坊空気銃の巻 茶目の空気銃 Chamebō Kūkijū no maki "Chame no kūkijū" Short Film 1917 Unknown Chamebō's new picture book – The Revenge of Mr. and Mrs. Flea 茶目坊新画帳・蚤夫婦仕返しの巻 Chamebō shingachō – Nomi fūfu shikaeshi no maki Short Film 1917 Unknown Great Oaks from Little Acorns Grow 塵も積もれば山となる Chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru Short Film 1917 Unknown Hanawa Hekonai – The Famous Sword (aka: "The Dull Katana" or "The Sword Test") 塙凹内名刀之巻 なまくら刀 or 試し斬 Hanawa Hekonai Meitō no Maki "Namakura Gatana" or "Tameshigiri" Short Film 1917 Extant Hanawa Hekonai – The Kappa Festival 塙凹内かっぱまつり Hanawa Hekonai Kappa matsuri Short Film 1917 Unknown Imokawa Mukuzō goes fishing (aka: "Chamebōzu goes fishing") 芋川椋三釣の巻 茶目坊主魚釣の巻 Imokawa Mukuzō Tsuri no maki "Chamebōzu Uozuri no maki" Short Film 1917 Unknown Imokawa Mukuzō – Somersault 芋川椋三宙返りの巻 Imokawa Mukuzō – Chūgaeri no maki Short Film 1917 Unknown Imokawa Mukuzō – The Concierge("Concierge" also translates into "Janitor") 芋川椋三玄関番之巻 or 芋川椋三玄関番の巻 Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban no Maki Short Film 1917 Lost film Kachikachi Mountain カチカチ山 Kachikachiyama Short Film 1917 Lost film Naughty Mailbox いたずらポスト Itazura posuto Short Film 1917 Unknown Sparrow with no Tongue 舌切雀 Shitakire suzume Short Film 1917 Lost film The Dream Car 夢の自動車 Yume no jidōsha Short Film 1917 Unknown The Ministry of Culture's Art Exhibition 文展の巻 Bunten no maki Short Film 1917 Unconfirmed The Old Man Who Made Flowers Bloom 花咲爺 Hanasaka-jiji Short Film 1917 Lost film The Pot and the Black Cat お鍋と黒猫の巻 Onabe to kuroneko no maki Short Film 1917 Unconfirmed What to do with your Postal Savings 貯金の勧 Chokin no susume Short Film 1917 Lost film Issun-bōshi 一寸法師 Issun-bōshi Short Film 1918 Unknown Kintaro 金太郎 Kintarou Short Film 1918 Unknown Momotarō (anime) 桃太郎 Momotarou Short Film 1918 Lost film Snowman 雪達磨 Yukidaruma Short Film 1918 Unknown Taro the Guard, The Submarine 太郎の番兵 潜航艇の巻 Taro no Banpei, Senkotei no Maki Short Film 1918 Lost film The Ant and the Pigeon 蟻と鳩 Ari to Hato Short Film 1918 Unknown The Frog's Dream 蛙の夢 Kaeru no Yume Short Film 1918 Unknown Tarou Urashima 浦島太郎 Urashima Tarou Short Film 1918 Lost film Household Soap カテイ石鹸 Katei Sekken Short Film c.1921 Extant

1923 earthquake

The Great Kantō earthquake which occurred on September 1, 1923 dealt incredible damage in Japan with 105,385 confirmed deaths. The damage from this natural disaster was the greatest sustained prior to World War II. Prior to the rediscovery of several Japanese animated films it was presumed that all prints produced up to its date had been destroyed. The account and record of these films themselves has been expanded, with Patten's Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews 2004 book claiming that three films were produced in 1917 when over a dozen works are now known. Despite the findings, the earthquake along with World War II have resulted in only 4% of all Japanese films made before 1945 being known to exist today.

1924–1938

After the earthquake, production of new films took place within a year. For the early films, benshi, storytellers were hired who sat next to the screen and narrated the silent movies. They were descendants of kabuki jōruri, kōdan storytellers, theater barkers and other forms of oral storytelling. The first animated "talkie" or sound film titled Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka ("World of Power and Women") was made in 1933, now a lost film it was a breakthrough for Japanese animation. However, at the time more than 80 percent of movies made in the country were still silents. By the mid 1930s the animation style was changing as well, chiyogami or paper animation was being phased out in favor of cel animation. Previously this latter form had been dismissed as too costly to use.Sharp, Jasper (2009). "The First Frames of Anime". The Roots of Japanese Anime, official booklet, DVD. In 1934, the first entirely cel animated short entitled The Dance of the Chagamas was made. Cel animated shorts of the mid 1930s borrowed aspects that were being used at the time by Disney. Towards the end of the decade, political events taking place at home as well as abroad were changing animation styles in Japan towards propaganda, and national pride.

Note: The kanji 漫画 means "cartoon", this is found before some of the titles in the sources listed below.