Pom Poko

"A fantastic tale of survival."

1994 1h 59m JA

👍

7.2

SOLID

🍅

87%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 1,245🍅87%Rotten Tomatoes●77Metacritic★7.2IMDB · 38,513

AdventureAnimationFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The Raccoons of the Tama Hills are being forced from their homes by the rapid development of houses and shopping malls. As it becomes harder to find food and shelter, they decide to band together and fight back. The Raccoons practice and perfect the ancient art of transformation until they are even able to appear as humans in hilarious circumstances.

“A fantastic tale of survival.”

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Cast

Makoto Nonomura
Shoukichi (voice)
Nijiko Kiyokawa
Old Fireball / Oroku (voice)
Shigeru Izumiya
Gonta (voice)
Norihei Miki
Seizaemon (voice)
Yuriko Ishida
Kiyo (voice)
Megumi Hayashibara
Sasuke (voice)
Yumi Ichihara
Koharu (voice)
Akira Kamiya
Tamasaburo (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Isao Takahata
Writers: Shinji Otsuka, Yoshiyuki Momose, Isao Takahata
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

32 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Isao Takahata, shot by Atsushi Okui. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Manto Watanobe. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Takeshi Seyama shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Makoto Nonomura and Nijiko Kiyokawa and Shigeru Izumiya carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A fantastic tale of survival.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0110008 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Isao Takahata directs. Atsushi Okui behind the camera. Manto Watanobe scores. Takeshi Seyama cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

132 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Isao Takahata, shot by Atsushi Okui. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Manto Watanobe. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Takeshi Seyama shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Makoto Nonomura and Nijiko Kiyokawa and Shigeru Izumiya carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "A fantastic tale of survival.".
7IMDB entry: tt0110008 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Released under 21 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Atsushi Okui
Original score: Manto Watanobe
Editing: Takeshi Seyama
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $43,700,000
Original language: JA
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Pom Poko (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes: 87% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 77/100
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 38,513 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

3 wins & 1 nomination total

Annecy Cristal for a Feature Film
Mainichi Film Awards

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Isao Takahata

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2024-12-13
★ 6/10
Adorable pro-environment, anti-development animation feature, with a hint of anti-capitalism. Eminently watchable.
Chris Sawin2026-03-27
★ 8/10
Pom Poko is one of the more unique Studio Ghibli films, with a ton of unpredictable WTF moments without straying too far from its mostly family-friendly reputation as an animated film. Seek it out, embrace the ridiculousness, and witness a bunch of raccoons adapt to life’s hardships by folding and stretching their teabags like a master origamist. https://bit.ly/CoonPouch