Osamu Tezuka was not just a comic artist. He was also an animator. In 1962, he formed his own animation studio - Mushi Productions - and began animating his own creations. He was involved in the productions as director, scenario writer, key drawing creator and art director. Animated works created by Osamu Tezuka include not only Japan's first television animation series such as Mighty Atom (Astro Boy), Jungle Emperor (Kimba, the White Lion), Princess Knight and W3 (Amazing 3 ), but more adult-orientated theatrical features such as A thousand and One Nights, Cleopatra and others.

Mighty Atom known in the U.S. as Astro Boy

In 1968, Tezuka formed a new studio to replace the old Mushi Productions, and called it "Tezuka Productions". At Tezuka Productions, among other works he produced were, Japan's first two-hour animated special, Bander Book, in 1978 - a new coloured version of the Mighty Atom or Astro Boy TV series - and Phoenix 2772, a theatrical feature both in 1980.