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An early gem from Studio Ghibli co-founders Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea) and Isao Takahata, director of The Raccoon War (aka Pom Poko) and The Grave Of The Fireflies…
Left alone by her grandmother when she has to go out of town, young girl Mimiko worries little about fending for herself, but wishes she had a real family of her own. That wish soon comes true when baby panda Panny and his gigantic bamboo-obsessed father bound into her house, lured by the lush bamboo fields outside.
Mimiko decides to invite her new friends to stay, and soon gets used to having a new family around to keep her company. Only thing is Panny and his Papa have escaped from the local zoo, and the owner wants them back…
So begins Mimiko’s adventures with Panny and Papa Panda, which include Panny accompanying Mimiko to school, an escaped tiger cub who ‘joins’ the family and rescuing circus animals from a devastating flood.
With an original story, scripts and layout by Hayao Miyazaki, Panda! Go Panda! is recognised to be his first notable work. In fact, many consider it to be a dry run for My Neighbour Totoro, and the story has much in common: the young girl looking for companionship, finding mythical creatures (or in this case fantastical – talking pandas?) at the bottom of the garden. The girl herself mirrors that of the youngest girl in Totoro, more genuinely curious about the prospect of a burglar in the house than scared of what they might do. And the panda character designs are very much like the various sized Totoro. The underlying principles of the storyline would become trademark Miyazaki – a world away from battling heroes and villains to 70s Japanese animated TV.
(Even the original Japanese titles, included on the DVD, have the familiar Studio Ghibli look. And they’re far better than the Western/US titles that have been added subsequently.)
Undeniably cute, and even though it’s aimed straight at very young audience it’s particularly well done (with an irresistibly catchy theme tune to boot). The animation is of a good quality, and if not up to later Studio Ghibli standards, it’s still easy to see why the short films Panda! Go Panda! and Circus In The Rain (here presented back-to-back) were so popular on their original release in Japan. Since it’s made it’s way to audiences across the globe (though personally I found the US dub rather grating).
There are some fine ideas on show here, particularly that Papa Panda could go to work like any other dad, clocking out at 5.30 to return home – only it’s a job at the zoo! Considering that later Walt Disney would come to Ghibli to ask to dub and distribute their films in the US, it seems more than a little ironic that the sequel so clearly takes Dumbo as a reference point for the circus coming to town by train.
Indeed it seems odd that, before this Manga release, the film has become difficult to buy on DVD outside of Japan, having been released twice by Pioneer in the US (once with only the English dub!) and once in Australia. (Doubly odd, really, considering the latest Japanese release is from Walt Disney?!)
A wonderfully enjoyable kids film, this is also a fascinating insight into the beginnings of the Studio Ghibli legend for older audiences. Just try getting that theme tune out of your head afterward!
Panda! Go Panda! was released by Manga on 6 July 2009.
DVD details
Distributor: Manga (UK)
A good master of the film makes up for some neglect during the seventies. Fortunately this release does include the original Japanese audio, but there's little else on this no fills DVD.
The 'original' opening is included, though this seems to be for both films, it's likely it may have been added later (which would account for why it's so Studio Ghibli in style!). There are also some creator biographies, but that's all.
Having seen the spec for the Japanese DVD, once again it's a shame that distribution companies are so often not given the chance to license some of the additional content, even if they could afford to. With insightful storyboards, interviews and discussions, it would have easily put this release on a par with the Optimum (UK) / Walt Disney (US) DVD releases from Studio Ghibli.
