Favourite bit about this film was the multi-purpose raccoon testicles. Other than that, fairly average when compared to Miyazaki's work

Not only can these raccoon dogs (an animal not actually related to the raccoon) shapeshift, they also use their testicles for parachutes and then beat people up with them in what a soundtrack song refers to as an "honorable battle". In short, this seems the craziest movie ever released by Ghibli, while much of it is based on Japanese folklore. The plot is repetitive and lame, but hardly the point. I guess the point is to see how many times you will go "wtf?!" before your senses are dulled.

I found it a little too heavy in its moralism and its a good 20 to 25 minutes too long. Even so, its good fun, very unique, and just a little bit mental! The problem is that it's length means that some of its novelty and charm start to wear pretty thin towards the end. The animation is supurb however, the original Japanese voice acting great and there is more than enough originality and surreal lunacy to entertain.

An utterly surreal work of genius that swings masterfully from humour to sadness. It sags a little in the middle and makes absolutely no sense, but it does have racoon testicle gags as well.

Good, but a little disappointing. The 'transforming' is handled magnificently well to create both surreal visual and character layers; the comedy is well positioned and enjoyable; the didactic message is ultimately handled in a sensible manner; but, ultimately, it's just not in the same league as other Ghibli films (particularly Nausicaa and Mononoke from Miyazaki) tackling the same thematic concern.

An excellent contribution to Ghibli's legacy of pro-environment fables about the magic of the natural world and the emptiness of crowded cities.

If you love raccoon ball sacks and the many magical things they can do with them, then this is right up your alley.

A hilarious and heartbreaking surrealist masterpiece on the eternal clash between modern society and nature.

A cute raccoon-dog (tanuki) vs human movie, that has one really awesome extended sequence with the obake/yokai (mythical Japanese beings) parade. Perfect for anyone who enjoyed the weirdness of Spirited Away.

Any movie with giant racoon balls is great. Good, quirky battle between humans and nature type movie.

Takahata is my favorite director from Ghibli. In Pom Poko there are three layers of character representation. Each is determined by the style of animation which changes from scene to scene. Apart from the didactic statement the movie's trying to push across, this one is a complex example of storytelling only made possible by animation. In fables human traits are projected onto animals, which leaves the question if the reverse is possible. One wonders, racoons don't.

This is so different, I love it. Also it has a pretty good message in it.

A tribe of raccoon-things with powers of tranformation fights to keep their forest from being eradicated by the humans. Despite all the business with testicles (oh, those Japanese...) it's quite a charming story. The last 15 minutes in particular are very moving. However, I don't think I'd watch it again.

Don't be fooled by the fact that it's about talking animals, this is about as original as it gets. The "message" part certainly isn't subtle, but there's such a quirky (or awesomely fucked up, to be more blunt) story around it I can let that slide.

Walks a fine line between honest sentiment and preachiness.

A sentimental movie with a great message. fine and lovely animation.

I have now seen more of tanuki testicles than I have ever wanted to.

Nice