Heisei tanuki gassen pompoko (1994)

Director:

Isao Takahata

Writer:

Isao Takahata (writer)

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:

Talking Fox | Maneki Neko | Tokyo Japan | Animal | Transformation

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Shinchô Kokontei	...	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 Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:G | USA:PG

Company:

Hakuhodo

Trivia:

Creatures shown in order of appearance during project poltergeist: - Shadows of hungry spirits. - Inari upon fox. - Foxes (Kitsune) performing Fox Wedding. - Lantern-spirit. - Skeleton. - Umbrella. - Fire breathing tiger. - Oni. - Shoki the Demon Slayer. - Agyo. - Tiny people performing funeral rights. - Raijin (God of Rain). - Fuujin (God of Wind). - Various squids and a fish. - Lantern. - Tengu. - Bulbs. - Bowing child-like samurai. - Maneki neko faced bowing samurai child. - Goblins. - Colorful beetles. - Wife spirit. - Spider. - Multi-headed woman. - Flame. - Skeleton. - Monkeys. - Rabbits. - Frogs. - Ryuu (dragon). - Train. - Dancing flames of white. - Man with reversible face. - Further indiscreet goblins. - Blue goblin. - Snake-like creature with man's face. - Purple spirit. - Camel-faced woman. - Four-legged cyclopic creature. - Mouth-creature. - Two oni. - Seven lucky gods (Benzaiten, Ebisu, Fukurakujo, Hotei, Daikoku). - Blue and flesh-colored goblins. - Walking stone legs. - Animated telephone poles. - Skeleton. - Fire & Firemen. - Tops. - Pill-like structures with eyes. - Flood. - Flying tanuki in flames. - Skeleton. - Seven lucky gods with goblins. - Amida Nyorai with Bodhisattva attendants.

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)

Perfection

Unlike Miyazaki, who can leave us guessing sometimes, Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies) has a knack of hitting us over the head with a sledgehammer message, leaving us only with the desire to be hit again and again. We are given a view from the Tanuki (a kind of badger) perspective of human encroachment on their environment. Takahata gives the Tanuki all the powers that Japanese folklore ascribe to them, including the power to change their appearance at a molecular level, a full awareness of Japanese political geography, the ability to speak and write Japanese, and apparently their own Emperor (as they refer to the years of Pompoko). He also gives them limitations, such as the inability to remain serious for any length of time and the general tendency toward sloth and partying. Many Japanese even today believe Tanuki can transform.

In this story, the ability to transform is not universal nor is it a task they can undertake without stress. These capabilities and limitations work for and against the Tanuki throughout the film in humorous, touching, and tragic ways.

The principle characters lived in the western outskirts of Tokyo in the late '60s, when a massive suburban bedtown, called "Tama New Town" was being built (This is a real place). They want to stop or reverse the progress of the construction, but are divided in how to accomplish this fact. One of the more extreme members favors killing the humans and driving them all out--until he is reminded that he won't be able to eat certain foods, such as hamburgers, potato chips, or Tempura. The story is focused on their efforts to stop the project and the events leading to the conclusion of the characters' situation.

This film will have a bit of difficulty with US distribution for a number of reasons--the biggest being the fact that you can tell the genders of the Tanuki by looking at the males. The DVD of this film will be released shortly in Japan and will include English subtitles. Unfortunately, Japan uses Region 2 encoding and their DVDs won't play on American Region 1 sets. Unless you're willing to wait forever for Disney to figure out how to distribute this masterpiece, it's worth buying an all-region DVD player just to see it. I give this film a 10 out of 10 rating.