An Animated Revolution The Remembrance of the 1945 Battle of Surabaya in Indonesian Animated Film

This article analyzes how the 2015 animated film Battle of Surabaya negotiates with what Edward Aspinall has coined ‘the new nationalism’ in Indonesia (2016), by focusing on four key aspects of the film: 1) the narrative of the Indonesian National Revolution that it addresses as a film perjuangan; 2) the film’s story of the Kipas Hitam–a secret ninja organization founded during the Japanese occupation; 3) its unique position globally as one of the few Indonesian animated films released in cinemas; and lastly 4) the film’s media franchise and style of animation. By positioning the film within Indonesia’s contemporary cultural sphere, this article illustrates how cultural memories of the Indonesian National Revolution are constructed through Indonesian animation and in particular Battle of Surabaya. It argues that the film functions as a space for negotiation within Indonesia’s contemporary memory culture and advocates the necessity for critical analyses of Indonesian war-themed films.