When the two genius minds at Ghibli get selfish, they make some of their most underrated and thought provoking work. Porco Rosso was as selfish as Miyazaki ever got, and for my money I think it's on par with Mononoke, Totoro, and Spirited Away. His partner on the other hand (albeit not an animator himself) has played it selfish on nearly every film he contributed, and for that, among other reasons, he will never be as popular as Hayao. Pom Poko is Isao Takahata and Ghibli's most amazing epic achievement. It's the funniest, smartest, most original, riskiest, darkest, most light hearted, best animated, and boldest film in the catalog. It's hated amongst those who want another Howl's Moving Castle, or Kiki's Delivery Service (nothing against those films, they're just easy to like) and loved by the few who know how truly brilliant these guys really are. It bothers me to no end how underrated this movie is, but on the other hand it doesn't surprise me or bother me at all. There's no need for me to re-hash the plot of this raccoon dog vs. human meddling masterpiece, just believe me it's amazing. And if you don't like it I'm sure there's many a Ghibli you will enjoy instead.

Sometimes it's a little rough around the edges and I'd be lying if I said it managed to land every punch, but it's an immensely satisfying and thought provoking movie that will touch your heart.Its approach and execution demonstrates that of Japan's unique culture. The train of thought is often perplexing to follow although I find this to be a benefit to the message.Its multi-layered offering will almost certainly be appreciated by all ages.What a wonderful approach to a well trodden path! Please watch this.

I find it hard to summarize this film, since it is sort of all over the place. The main plot of the film involves the tanuki (raccoon-dogs) of the Tama hills near Tokyo and their struggle against the encroaching development that is destroying their woods. As the tanuki attempt to defend their home through the use of their shape-shifting abilities, they are also challenged by an inability to agree on the best course of action and a growing sense that their efforts may be inevitably doomed to failure.The film, like its tanuki characters, seemed a bit unfocused at times, especially towards the end. Indeed, the plot mainly served as a set-up for showing a succession tanuki antics. Admittedly, said antics were very entertaining, but at 2 hours of runtime I'd prefer a little more narrative support.Some have referred to this movie as environmentalist in nature, but viewed from that standpoint, it is actually somewhat weak. I was especially disappointed by the ending, which I thought failed to make any meaningful comment on the sequence of events depicted in the movie. Without giving too much away, it seemed like the movie was saying, "Development and urban sprawl are inevitable, but oh well. At least there are still golf courses and parks!" It was as if the people making the film didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. I have nothing against ambiguity, especially with such a broad theme as the conflict between humans and nature, but I thought the overall effect of the film was wishy-washy, avoiding more serious questions for the sake of preserving a lighthearted tone.The best aspects of this film in my opinion were its unrestrained playfulness, wacky sense of humor, and use of Japanese culture and folklore, much of which was largely unfamiliar to me as a Western viewer. The art and animation were also quite well done, with realistic natural elements rendered quite convincingly and an overall visual harmony between the static backgrounds and animated figures. Despite the shortcomings mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, I enjoyed this film quite a bit. 7 / 10.

I Have Seen All Of Studio Ghibli's Movie's.... Honestly This Movie Is NOT At The Top And NOT At The Bottom.... If I Had The Place The Movie Here Is Where I Would Place It- 1. Grave Of The Fireflies 2. Ponyo(On The Cliff By The Sea) 3. Spirited Away 4. My Neighbor Totoro 5. Princess Mononoke 6. Howls Moving Castle 7. Kiki' Delivery Service 8. Laputa: Castle In The Sky 9. Whisper Of The Heart 10. Porco Rosso 11. Pom Poko~~~~~~~~~~~ 12. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 13. My Neighbors The Yamadas 14. The Cat Returns 15. Only Yesterday 16. Tales From EarthseaPom Poko Is NOT A Bad Movie, Its Just Not One Of My Favorites Although The Animation Is So Beautiful!Overall It Is Still A VERY Good Movie!