‘Pom Poko’, when ‘Tanuki’ Fight to Save the Environment

When making his feature film Pom Poko (1994), the co-founder of Studio Ghibli used Japanese folklore as his backdrop, with numerous cultural references. Thus, he depicts a mythical animal, the tanuki, a symbol of good luck and fortune. 

The film’s original title, Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko, literally means ‘Pom Poko, the great war of Heisei-era tanuki’. However, Isao Takahata chose a different title that was lighter and more impactful, which reduces to the onomatopoeia created when these creatures drum on their round stomach, ‘Pom Poko Pon Pon’. 

A poetic fable with an environmental moral

Due to a plan made by humans to urbanise the Tama Hills, west of Tokyo, the everyday existence of these yokai (Japanese spirits) is shattered. Faced with this threat, they decide to join forces to stop the destruction of their environment. 

Masters of disguise, the forest-dwelling spirits entertain viewers of all ages as they embark on their revolution by tricking humans in various ways. ‘At the end of the day, what happens to them is what we are experiencing ourselves. We are tanuki who have to disguise ourselves as urban dwellers!’, Isao Takahata declared in 1996, in the magazine Positif.

However, over the course of the animated tale with its rich imagery, the humorous tone takes a more serious turn. The fight turns out to be in vain. More powerful than the gods, humans have the capacity to cause mass destruction and the legendary creatures are reduced to a source of theme park entertainment. An allegory for failure to respect nature, these raccoon-like animals embody the fragility of the environment and the sacrifice of ancient values. ‘The film illustrates, with a sense of mischief and in a pertinent manner, an issue that remains current’, writes Gersande Bollut in the book Ghibli: les Artisans du rêve (2017). 

Pom Poko (1994), a film directed by Isao Takahata  and available on DVD and Blu-Ray released by GKids.