Heisei tanuki gassen pompoko (1994)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Isao Takahata

Writers:

Cindy Davis Hewitt (screenplay)
Donald H. Hewitt (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 July 1994 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

A community of magical shapeshifting raccoons desperately struggle to prevent their forest home from being destroyed by urban development.

Plot Keywords:

Tokyo | 1960s | Maneki Neko | Tama Tokyo | Tanuki

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Kokondei Shinchou	...	Narrator (voice)
Makoto Nonomura	...	Shoukichi (voice)
Yuriko Ishida	...	Okiyo (voice)
Norihei Miki	...	Seizaemon (voice)
Nijiko Kiyokawa	...	Fireball Oroku (voice)
Shigeru Izumiya	...	Gonta (voice)
Gannosuke Ashiya	...	Inugami Gyobu (voice)
Takehiro Murata	...	Bunta (voice)
Beichou Katsura	...	Kincho Daimyoujin the Sixth (voice)
Bunshi Katsura	...	Yashimano Hage (voice)
Kosan Yanagiya	...	Abbot Tsurugame (voice)
Akira Kamiya	...	Tamasaburo (voice)
Rei Sakuma	...	(voice)
Tomokazu Seki	...	Male Tanuki B (voice)
Minoru Yada	...	(voice)

Also Known As:

Pom poko (USA) (dubbed version)
The Raccoon War (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for violence, scary images and thematic elements.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

English | French | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:PG | France:U | Canada:G (Manitoba) (video rating) (2001) | Canada:G (Ontario/Quebec) (DVD rating) (2005) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (DVD rating) (2005) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | USA:PG

Company:

Hakuhodo

Trivia:

As the tanuki fly off in a train of spirits and ghosts, immediately before beginning project "Poltergeist", images characters from other Ghibli works can be seen, including that of Kiki from Majo no takkyûbin (1989), Porco Roso's Seaplane from Kurenai no buta (1992), Totoro on his top from Tonari no Totoro (1988), and young Taeko from Omohide poro poro (1991) can be seen flying just above the winged skeleton.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The English-dubbed version incorrectly refers to the tanuki as "raccoons". Tanuki are actually "raccoon dogs" - they are in the canid branch of mammals.

Quotes:

Osho: [Osho is patiently teaching a class to the young raccoons] A raccoon fell out of the tree! Yes, that's right. Who can tell me *why* the raccoon fell out of the tree? Gonta?
Gonta: [grunts] He was a loser.

Movie Connections:

References Kurenai no buta (1992)

If you have a heart you will love this movie

I was expecting a movie about stupid little raccoons that would be boring and unoriginal. However it was far from that, it was fun, original, exciting and moving. I'm upset by how many people think it's bad! It's moved me more than any other movie has in a long time.

It's the story of a bunch of shape shifting raccoons, whose forest is slowly being destroyed by humans. I would normally assume that with that plot it would be a preachy, boring "WHY MUST WE HURT OUR MOTHER EARTH?!!!!" style story but it's not at all. It's from their point of view, not in a way that's overstated. No big sweeping scores or little raccoons finding a potato chip bag and shedding a tear.

Along with their magical powers of shape-shifting (which often includes using their testicles... I'm not making that up), they persevere and fight on. It's not an epic, it's not manipulative at all. It's set more or less in the real world, at least the imagined world where raccoons can talk is portrayed realistically.

This movie is hilarious, and a hell of a lot of fun. It's an excellent 'escape' movie. It's a cute fun filled world, the raccoons go through tough times but they don't sit around crying about it. It brought me back to that feeling as a child when I would watch Disney movies and feel the "magic" (which now that I'm grown up is just "escapism".) This movie isn't for critics. If you think that little raccoons playing with their balls and having fabulous adventures are stupid then you can go and re-watch 'Citizen Kane.' Don't go into watching this movie with a serious attitude or critical eye, just feel the fun. Don't be a critic and "compare it to other Ghibli films", who cares about how "GOOD" a movie is, if you don't enjoy it. It's not about how many fat middle-aged critics like it, it's about how it elicits emotion in you.

So don't view this movie as another "movie", it's about feeling like a kid again and just having a lot of fun watching these amazing raccoons.

An all around excellent film, a good antidote to a rainy day! 10/10.