1. An image processing apparatus for generating an interpolation frame to be inserted between a first frame and a second frame of a moving picture contiguous with each other, the image processing apparatus comprising: a repetitive pattern detection section configured to detect whether a repetitive pattern is present in at least one of the first and second frames; a motion vector calculation section configured to calculate a motion vector by performing a matching operation between the first and second frames within a search range determined based on a detection result from the repetitive pattern detection section; and an interpolation frame generation section configured to generate the interpolation frame in accordance with a calculation result of the motion vector.