Pompoko (1994)

 

Studio Ghibli often hits the mark with imaginative, endearing and beautiful animated films with a variety of themes. The times they miss the ball are very, very rare.

This is one of those times.

At it's core, the story has a clear message: on a mountainside close to Tokyo, a great many tanukis live. They are creatures that resemble a mix between a dog and a raccoon. But when urbanisation threatens their existence, things get difficult for the tanukis. Just like in the tales of folklore, these creatures have the ability to shapeshift and they use it to try and preserve their forest home. Some do this with violence, other through more peaceful means. However, nothing seems to halt the building of new homes and roads. They even attempt a parade filled with yokai (spirits) to try and impress people, but when the CEO of a nearby amusement park takes the credit, the tanukis are at wits end. Eventually, most of them decide to shapeshift into human form and try to eke out a living this way. 

So why doesn't this film have that same degree of impact a lot of the other Ghibli products have? 

Mainly: it is boring.

Some decisions are pretty bizarre. For starters: there's a narrator that constantly gives his opinion on everything, even if for the most part it is completely unnecessary. We can see what is happening, you know? And the tanukis themselves are really inconsistently animated. The more realistic ones look great, then they have this cartoonish in-between shape that they have for most of the film and then they sometimes morph into oversimplified shapes that look seriously out of place. 

And the worst offence? Nothing actually happens. I'm not even joking. The environmental message could have had quite a big impact, but the story is incredibly dull and drags on and on for nearly two hours for no reason at all. The ghostly parade comes out of nowhere, characters make random decisions just to try and advance what little plot there is and at the end you'll be bored out of your wits and aching for something with a lot more substance. 

So no, in no way, shape or form can I recommend this one. It could have had promise, but this is quickly squandered by mere boredom.