Panda Go Panda (2005)

I wish I was Mimiko! (I've just seen this movie and I can't stop smiling!)

This movie is pure goodness and joy!

Trust me, it's equivalent to years of psychological therapy, working like a pill against pessimism of all degrees!

Mimiko's everlasting euphory sticks to you as you're watching this funny piece. Witnessing the way she and the other characters deal with everything that happens to them, so lightly and without any trace of resetment, is a true inspiration to life!
This is how we should live as well, as children who can be infinitely happy just by standing on the top of their heads!
This is actually the message of this film and of the movie "My good friend Totoro", which is a sort of an evolved version of this one: both of them command us to laugh and be cheerful no matter what happens (don't forget Mimiko is an orphan), because life can be so magical in every small detail of it.
It's only up to us to brighten our minds and take the whole world with us, upon our train of humorous existential extasy!

Just a note for those of you who wonder whether this movie is meant only for kids:
I'm 24 y/o and I feel this movie can appeal to each and every heart that wishes to crack its bitterness and open to love with no limits.

Lastly, you must admit that papa panda's smile on the cover is unmistakably irresistible :)
(and the opening song will also become a welcome guest in your memory )

So go and rent the blessed thing! You won't regret it!
October 19, 2008

Adventure Stories of Cute Little Girl and Two Pandas: One of Miyazaki's Pre-Ghibli Works

`Panda Go Panda' is not only one of the earliest works by animation film maestro Hayao Miyazaki; it is also a lovely, delightful and imaginative story about a cute little girl and two pandas. Meet a feisty little girl named Mimiko living with two pandas in a little house surrounded by bamboo forest. The DVD has two episodes, both of which are about 30 minutes: "Panda Family" and "The Circus in the Rain."

[PANDA FAMILY] You will see Mimiko's grandmother reluctantly boarding a train, leaving her granddaughter behind alone. But Mimiko is not lonely, because she finds a baby panda in her garden. Soon after Mimiko becomes a friend with the little panda, another (much bigger) panda arrives, who turns out the baby panda's daddy. Mimiko asks the bigger panda to be HER daddy, too because, as it turns out, she is a child with no parents (the situation repeatedly seen in Miyazaki's works), and wacky adventures begin.

[PANDA FAMILY] was released in 1972 when Japanese people were all into two pandas in Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, sent from mainland China to promote friendship between two nations. This short film was theatrically released as part of Toho's triple-feature show (the other two were monster flicks, including the one featuring Godzilla).

[THE CIRCUS IN THE RAIN] was released in 1973. It introduces a strayed baby tiger who ran away from the circus troupe visiting Mimiko's town. The short film has notable characteristics, Miyazaki's wild imagination and creative ideas - for example, railway train running underwater - and Mimiko's unpredictable adventure story is always amusing and comical, something you will see only in Miyazaki's imaginative world.

Both films share the same traits as Miyazaki's later works like `My Neighbor Totoro' - see the movement of the characters in the opening credits, the face (and the mouth) of the daddy panda, etc. - and of course, a girl who can live independently reminds us of Mei and Satsuki in `Totoro' or Kiki in `Kiki's Delivery Service.'

One interesting fact is that before making two `Panda' films, Hayao Miyazaki (who provided the original idea for the film, the script, and basic image designs) and Isao Takahata (who directed the film) were planning to make an animated version of `Pippi Longstocking' with Yoichi Kotabe (later known for his illustrations for Super Mario Brothers), but Astrid Lindgren refused to give the permission. It is a regrettable decision, but still Miyazaki and Takahata managed to create a unique character of Mimiko, tactfully using some elements seen in Pippi's image (Compare Mimiko's hairstyle with Pippi's, for example).

But all these things are not really necessary to enjoy watching these simply-told and very charming animations. True, these pre-Ghibli works from Miyazaki and Takahata look too light and too short, but their signatures are already there. And you will love this little girl Mimiko who is so adorable.

By the way the original Japanese title of `Panda Go Panda' is actually `Panda Kopanda, which means 'panda (and) little panda.'
November 27, 2006

Panda Go Panda

Oh my god!!!! I would never have thought that I would end up doing this. My three year old loved this movie sooooo much that she watched it so often that when it was scratched I had to drive all over town looking for a replacement. No one had it and at the time it wasn't available on Amazon too. This is a great movie for young children and the story is simple and entertaining enough that you probably wouldn't mind watching it more than once. Definitely a good BUY. I still can't get the music out of my head!!! May 14, 2006

Charming, quirky and suitable for 3 year-olds

Panda! Go Panda! is an anime cartoon made for television in the early days of the partnership between Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. There are two c 37 minute episodes: "Panda! Go Panda!" and "Rainy Day Circus". The first shows how a little girl named Mimiko meets a baby panda and his father who come to live in her house, and the second tells how they all survive a big flood. The atmosphere throughout is bright and funny. Even when the baby panda is lost for awhile in the first episode and when a train runs away in the second episode, the situations are presented in such a way that they are not likely to upset the average child.

In this world, Mimiko's grandma can go away for a "little while" (she doesn't come back, but she stays in touch) and leave her granddaughter to take care of everything - because the granddaughter is the most amazingly competent kid in the world. In this world, pandas talk and are super strong and when little girls are really, really happy they stand on their heads. It is a very silly, very cute world.

No one can say for sure how a 3 year-old will react to a story, and I am not guaranteeing that every 3 year-old will be as enthralled by these two stories as my grandson is, but I would reccomend this DVD to just about anyone - kiddies and grown-ups too. It has the charm and cleverness of the later Studio Ghibli film, MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO - even though the animation is only of made-for-tv standard.

(This review is based on the Australian DVD release). March 24, 2006

Cute, simple, and great for kids.

Athough I don't have kids, I am an avid Ghibli collector and had to buy this. The characters are lovable, the plot is basic and easy for children to understand, and it's about as G rated as it could get. The animation is understandably not of as high quality as of other Ghibli movies, hence the 4 stars. And, erm, i'm an adult but didn't want to do the extra paperwork. January 25, 2006

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