Pom Poko Reviews

Pleasantly surprised

I really wasn't sure what to expect with this Studio Ghibli (Sprirted Away) film, as it was the one I had heard the least of. Luckily none of their movies have disappointed me yet, and this is no exception. While it may not come close to Totoro, Sprirted Away and Porco Rosso, it is still a great film in it's own right. This is actually the only film the studio has done that has starred talking animals, which in this case are a group of Japanese Racoons who find ways to stop a construction project taking over their forest. The first thing that caught my eye was the clever transforming animations. Often the Racoon will also change from cartoon style, to even more cartoon styled, and back to realistic style again. This is all done seamlessly, however, and works to the films advantage. Another thing you’ll notice is that, yes, these are Japanese Racoon s and yes, they are drawn accurately to how the Japanese draw them in folktales, so they have big..well, “pouches“. While these don’t distract from the movie, there is one particular scene in the film where they take the role as weapons and,…it’s a very strange thing to see. Of course, this is the only real culture clash I can spot in the film, but this doesn’t make the film in any way not suitable for kids. In fact, I’d highly recommend renting this to watch if you’re an animation fan or a parent who wants something to keep the kids entertained.

Lovely film.

Not in the same league as Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle but still enjoyable.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Too polemical

Too polemical for our liking and also the art work was not as delicate - more crude - than the other studio ghibli films we've seen.

Wonderful!

This is the best Studio Ghibli film I've seen so far. It is actually a bit of a morality tale and very touching towards the end. The story is gripping and there is a lot of fun and humour.

However it left me feeling sad about the environmental damage that us human cause, with wild life paying the highest price of all.

The Japanese folk tales that this film is based on make this film both fascinating and magical.

Brilliant all round!

The feature film Looney Toons aspired to.

Pom Poko is a film by Studio Ghibli (made famous by Spiritied Away). Although this film is not of the high standard that they have now reached it is still a very enjoyable film. Children will love the funny transformations and plans of the Raccons as they try and save their homes. The nearest western Comparison I can think of is the activities of Wile E. Coyote trying to catch Road runner. Underneath the enjoyment there is also the message of what we are doing to the world and how the traditions are being replaced with commercialism. The message however does not get in the way of the humour and enjoyable film.

Fantastic

I loved this film.

My daughters are becoming fans of Anime and asked me to rent this because the trailer looked interesting.

I am so glad I did. The film gets of to a slow start but soon wraps you up in its whimsy.

The film is in turn funny; slapstick then tinged with sadness as the march of man takes its toll. Well worth watching but young children may find it very sad towards the end.

Tooo Long

I'm a great fan of all things Ghibli as are my family. But this isn't the best. Nice film...far too long. Could be a great film with half of it edited out. I actually fell asleep and still followed it when I woke up.

Really Good!

I came across this a few weeks ago, but decided not to rent it (the raccoon theme put me off). It was on Film4 at the weekend, so sat down and watched it. I really enjoyed it. One of the better Japanese cartoons I have seen. If you liked Spirted Away, see this one also. It may not get the same rating, but its still worth watching.

A love letter to racoons?

I am always delighted with the way Studio Ghibli draw on Japanese folklore. I love it because its so mysterious and unfamiliar to me.

But I just couldn't get into this.

The racoons plight is so sad and hopeless thet there is a fatalistic feeling of gloom from the very beginning. And they really dragged it out.

Don't let this put you off getting other Studio Ghibli films.

For die-hard fans of Studio Ghibli and racoons only.

Why couldn't I watch these when I was a kid?

The studio gibli films all seems so brilliant and so well crafted that I always feel hard done by to know that I never got to see them as a child. A much more quirky offering this time round but that just adds to the enjoyment and the fascination that this film creates. It left me wondering and wishing, as all good films should, whether there was any truth in it. I truly hope so