Pom Poko

Pom Poko (1994) is a Studio Ghibli animated feature directed by Isao Takahata — watch it online on iFILM. Where most Ghibli films lean into wonder and warmth, Takahata's picture swings between slapstick comedy and something genuinely melancholy, all wrapped around a pointed story about land development on the fringes of Tokyo.

The tanuki — shape-shifting raccoon dogs from Japanese folklore — have lived in the Tama Hills for generations. Then the bulldozers arrived. Over a few short years, the forests shrank and the food ran out. The tanuki vote to revive their ancient transformation arts and use them to scare off the construction crews. Young Shoukichi wants to act; the elder Old Fireball counsels patience; the fierce Gonta is ready to fight humans directly. Their campaign grows stranger, funnier, and sadder all at once.

Takahata wove traditional rakugo storytelling and Shinto mythology into a film that reads as an environmental fable without ever lecturing. Released in Japan in July 1994, it reached international audiences largely through Ghibli Fest screenings. Stream Pom Poko (1994) online on iFILM.