Pom Poko

Pom poko is a classics tale of clash between man and nature. Rapid development in the modern world reaches tama hill and the racoons are forced to leave their natural habitat as finding food and shelter becomes harder with each passing day. With nothing seems to be working out for them, racoons decide to unite and scare away the advancement of the modern world by learning traditional art of transforming. Will they be successful in their mission or will they be wiped out by the modern world progress? Will man and nature ever learn to live in harmony? That's what forms the rest of the film in an unusual, emotional and often hilarious ways.Pom poko is directed by another studio ghibli genious Isao takahata who happens to be hayao miyazaki's long time friend and his senior. Pom poko remains studio ghibli's most strange film till date which is in no way lesser rich and intense than any other ghibli films but few contents in the movie may put some viewers off. The movie few frightening images, ghosts, scrotums and a few references of mating here and there.Pom poko contains japanese cultural and traditional references and themes more than any other studio ghibli film. It would have been really interesting to see a feature explaining all those in detail.Pom poko is a comparatively lesser known (to the west) film from studio ghibli which is on par with any of their own fims when it comes to richness and execution of the subject and does not disappoint in anyway. The animation is detailed and flawless and backgrounds lush and breathtaking.Although this dvd is light on extras, yet the disc is definitely worthwhile just for the movie itself. Highly recommended to all studio ghibli fans out there and to everyone else looking for good cinema and great storytelling.

One of the things that makes Studio Ghibli films so successful in my opinion, is the way Hayao Miyazaki, and other members of his team, not only give out good creativity in their storytelling, but also how those stories express universal messages in ways that can be understood by both kids and grown-ups alike. Sometimes the messages are clear like in 'Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind' and other times they're not so obvious like in 'The Cat Returns'. In the case of 'Pom Poko', however, it's clear throughout the movie what message they're trying to give us. Much like 'Valley of the Wind' and 'Princess Mononoke', the story deals with environmental messages - specifically how land development and destroying forests can greatly damage the lives of the animals living there. Ultimately, the aim of the narrative is to raise awareness of these damaging effects by showing them through the point of view of the animals, and expressing some of the drastic measures they have to take in order to survive. This alone is perhaps what lead 'Pom Poko' to being the number one Japanese film on the domestic market in 1994.The story begins in 1960s Japan, on the outskirts of Tokyo, where major suburban development has started cutting into large areas of forest land, forcing many animals from their homes. By the early 1990s, tribes of shape-shifting raccoons have declared war on each other, fighting over what limited food and territory they have left. However, after seeing just how much of their forest has been lost, they agree to join forces and begin a revolution against the human race, in an attempt to end the construction project and save their homeland.On the surface, the story might seem pretty straight-forward; a forest is being unjustly destroyed and the animals want retribution. But as with most Studio Ghibli films, what sets it apart from other stories in this genre is the way it deploys fantasy elements - specifically the idea that raccoons can transform. Whilst it's true there have been movies like 'FernGully' (1992) and 'Once Upon a Forest' (1993) that have blended fantasy, animation and environmental messages together before, Studio Ghibli does it in a way that reflects true Japanese culture and history. The idea of shape-shifting raccoons isn't something that was invented by Isao Takahata (the movie's screenwriter) to advance the plot - there are real Japanese folklores that believed raccoons once had the ability to do this. Also, the story ties in with several real-life events that took place in Japan like the New Tama project - the largest urban land development project in history - and even uses the raccoons' transforming ability as explanation for things such as the growth in energy drink sales, mysterious hauntings, and some of the gods that the Japanese people worship. Overall this makes the story feel more believable and gives the illusion that it's something that could've really happened. Another thing that makes the story believable is, unlike some environmental films, it doesn't portray humans as evil. Rather they're shown to be people who are trying to do what's best for their community, whilst not taking into consideration the effects they're having on wildlife. Throughout the film we hear about humans mistreating raccoons (e.g. killing them for their fur), whilst others are shown to be caring and considerate towards them. We see both sides to this supposed war between species and we can see that there's no one really who's wicked. What's good about this is that it allows the audience to make their own judgments and choose a side, rather than having one forced on them. One final thing that's worth mentioning about the story is some of the emphasis it has on inevitability and sacrifice. Because we know New Tama was eventually built, it makes the plot's outcome somewhat predictable and so it's no surprise to see the raccoons' situation gradually getting worse. In the end, they accept that only the strongest of them can survive and if they can't beat the humans they might as well join them.So with all I have to say about the story, what about its characters? Well...honestly...they're not all that memorable. I won't deny there are some great voice actors involved in the English cast, like Clancy Brown as Gonta, Maurice LaMarche as the narrator and Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Shoukishi - who also did the voice of young Simba in 'The Lion King' (1994). There's even some voice actors who provided their talents to other Studio Ghibli films like Tress MacNeille ('My Neibours the Yamadas'), Kevin Michael Richardson ('Porco Rosso' and 'Tales from Earthsea') and John DiMaggio ('Princess Mononoke'). My one trouble with the characters is that there's so many of them. Even if you're able to remember all their names, the narrative never seems to focus too heavily on any of them for very long; there's no one or two that stand out as the main hero(es). Because of this the narrative goes off in all directions and leaves the audience guessing who they're suppose to be relating to. So the voice acting is good, but I feel the characters themselves could've been handled a little better.Overall I feel the movie has good appeal to both children and adults. Things like the song 'Mr. Racoon' are catchy and memorable for children, whilst lessons about history and depictions of death are more in the adult territory. The story doesn't build to much of a climax, but there are some good moments to be enjoyed. One of my favourite is the classic 'it's behind you' gag - you'll know what I mean if you watch the film.In conclusion, I wouldn't say 'Pom Poko' is one of my absolute favourite Studio Ghibli films, but it definitely has a good message to it - and it's told in a way that's believable. I would recommend this film to any Studio Ghibli fans, young or old, and anyone who really believes in preserving nature. This is a film that would make the World Wildlife Fund proud.My next Studio Ghibli review will be on 'Kiki's Delivery Service'. Hopefully there won't be as much of a delay on that review as there was this one (7 months). I'm planning to release these on a monthly basis. Stay tuned.

About the film.The movie by itself is based on popular Japanese folklore about Tanuki (raccoon dogs) as they struggle against the urbanisation of countryside regions of Japan, especially Tama Hills. The director Isao Takahata is famous by his unusual approach to animation, he always experiments with something new in his films. In "Pom Poko" he uses at least three different styles of animation according to situation on the screen: realistic portrayal of animals in their real life, animated humans traditional to anime, and comical representation of emotions more inherent to manga. Nevertheless this strange blending of different styles brings unforgettable feelings of tragicomedy.About the European Blu-ray ediion.It's just the movie. Nothing more (we not count the trailer reel and Storyboards). It's a shame it does not feature the original Extra from Japanese edition - Rakugo about the Tanuki, on which this movie is partially based. Rakugo is a Japanese "one man theatre" where one actor on scene tells and shows long anecdotes about different comical situations.Overall it's a "must see" for all fans of Studio Ghibli and Isao Takahata, it's one of his best works. Moreover visual design for this movie was created by Kazuo Oga, the man who established visual look for all Ghibli films starting from "My Neighbor Totoro" in 1988. You definitely will n otforget its stunning backgrounds and fanciful animation approach.

A tale of raccoon dogs and how they try to chase the humans away from their traditional countryside. I usually like to watch manga with the original Japanese and subtitles but the translation is so weird that the only way you can really watch this I think is by having them all talking in cute American accents. At least it makes a bit of sense that way! Based on Japanese folklore it has one of the best surrealist animation sequences I have ever seen, and it's beautifully animated as you would expect with some very exciting sequences.

Shape shifting Raccoons fight for their forest home in the late 60s, it's fun and more than a little odd what Studio Ghibli does best.