What's on the Screen? Pom Poko

Movies are something that a lot of us take for granted. But I've had the pleasure to watch a variety of different films of late, and I'm going to share my thoughts about a few of them with you over time. Today I want to tell you about a film we watched called Pom Poko. Now I know not everyone has heard of it, and I'm sure some people consider it to be a classic. But I've only seen it for the first time recently.

This movie was absolutely adorable. It centers around a group of racoons and their homes. It also gives racoons the ability to transform. Throughout the movie this leads to some adorable images. It also helps them as they try to solve their problems.

The movie (spoilers here) focuses on the idea of urban sprawl and the problems it causes to nature. Human buildings invading the countryside reduce the space for animals to have their own habitats and homes. This is a fact that most people can understand, but to see it displayed and presented the way it is in the film leads to a number of questions.

But the biggest one is what can people do about it? While we cannot expect other folk to do the same things that we do, we should remember that our own choices change the things around us whether we can see these changes or not.

I do recommend this as a film to share with the family. While smaller children may not understand what the film is really saying, they will find humor in some of the situations. As with most Ghibli films the artwork is beautiful and the landscapes are as beautiful as paintings, so the film has points for everyone to enjoy.

^_~