Pom Poko

Isao Takahata’s “Pom Poko,” released in 1994, raised eyebrows in the USA, both for its constant shocking images and for Japan’s choice to submit the movie as its entry for the Oscar for foreign language film. (Charles Solomon said in his review, “More than one Academy member sniffed at the idea of a “cartoon” being considered for such a prestigious award back then.”)

Solomon noted, “Pom Poko—the sound a well-filled belly makes when it’s patted—reportedly was inspired by a remark Hayao Miyazaki made to Takahata about what became of the animals who had lived on the site of a new development.”

In 1967, the Tama Hills, a rural area west of Tokyo, was made into the bedroom community of “New Tama” to give housing for more than 300,000 people. This giant project caused danger with the tanuki (technically Japanese raccoon dogs, although the English version calls them raccoons) who had lived in the area for centuries. Small farms gave them with places to live and plenty of rodents, frogs, windfall fruit and, once in a while, stolen human meals. These essential needs are gone as bulldozers level hills, fill streams and chop down trees. The destroyed area can no longer help the animal population. When the tanuki meet, they decide to defend against the human violations, but their leadership is divided: short-tempered Gonta (Clancy Brown), older Seizaemon (J.K. Simmons), honest wise-woman Oroku (Tress MacNeille), and young, smart Shoukichi (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) give different ways to solve the issue.

Solomon noted, “In Japanese folk tales, tanuki are shape-shifters, capable of transforming themselves into almost anything. But they’re folkloric equivalent of party dudes, too interesting in eating, drinking and dancing to be as dangerous or threatening as foxes (kitsune), the other great shape-shifters, often are.”

Impatient and angry, Gonta begins an operation of damage that destroys equipment and kills three workers. Solomon said, “Shoukichi devises a more subtle strategy, creating ghost-illusions that draw on old folk stories to scare off more superstitious workers.” However, as Oroku humbly notes, there looks like there is an unlimited supply of humans wanting to destroy the Tama Hills.

With the help of transformation masters from other islands, the tanuki decide to concentrate everything into scaring the residents of New Tama away with “Operation Specter,” a giant pageant of yokai (Solomon said, “creatures that haunt Japanese folklore; the word has been translated as “ghosts,” “spirits” and “monsters”). This glorious fantasy sequence is simultaneously scary and funny, drawing on the great woodblock prints of the 18th and 19th century, including a gargantuan skeleton lifted from a celebrated Kuniyoshi. (Western viewers saw some of the same monsters in Shuhei Morita’s Oscar-nominated short Possessions.)”

However, the parade entertains the residents more than it scares them. For it to be worse, the owner of a nearby amusement park says he staged the pageant as a publicity stunt. After the pageant fails, Gonta makes an all-out attack and is killed in the war. The remaining tanuki could move, but any good area already has a resident tribe of tanuki. Solomon said, “They could live at the fringes of human society and forage garbage.” Or they could transfigure themselves permanently and live as humans (Solomon noted, “maintaining a human form requires a lot of energy: it may be the reason for the spike in sales of sports drinks”). However, the fearful, driven lives of urban Japanese don’t ask to the relaxed, pleasure-loving tanuki.

As good of a movie it is, this is one of the weirdest entries in “Studio Ghibli” history. The reason why I say that is because how in your face it has the “save the earth” message. Also, the “pouches,” as they are called in the English dub version, is actually the raccoons’ privates, which is very disturbing. Definitely see this one if you would like, but just be cautious when you see it.

Check in tomorrow where I look at another good film in “Studio Ghibli Month.”