Pom Poko

Studio Ghibli has a well-earned reputation for producing some of world cinema's most staunchly environmentalist works. No matter who's directing, you can expect this theme to emerge - consider that "My Neighbor Totoro" is a paean to farm life, that "Whisper of the Heart" worries about industrialization, that both "Nausicaa" and "Princess Mononoke" adopt characters who misuse natural resources as their villains. But no Ghibli filmmaker is as concerned with the health of the world itself as Isao Takahata ("Grave of the Fireflies"). Sometimes referred to as "Ghibli's conscience," Takahata's sociopolitical interests have had an influence on every movie the Studio has distributed. And in this regard, his magnum opus is "Pom Poko", which takes the point-of-view of the environment itself.

The narrative is told jointly, via voiceover, by a clan of raccoon dogs (they're native to Japan,) all of whom are struggling to survive as their home is razed for resources and real estate. "Poko" is more than just environmentally conscious - it's incensed. The film is built from social observation (Japan's burgeoning urban economy directly causes their ranks to starve to death,) and folklore (as in Japanese legend, Takahata's racoon dogs can use their magical testicles to help them transform into other beings,) eventually crafting a narrative where the humans and the animals literally face-off. The dogs use their power to haunt, and even kill, construction workers and real estate developers. Some in the clan prefer non-violence, but what good will that do when there's human beings in play, and money to be made? History has proven we don't care about those creatures. Takahata and his dogs, then, waver back and forth between righteous fury and melancholic acceptance. "Poko," to its immense credit, prescribes no solutions to these tragedies of the free market - it just laments their existence.

Disney's Blu-ray release of the film brings with it extra features ported over from the prior DVD release: There are a couple of trailers, as well as a storyboarded version of the final film. The new disc's best feature - as is often true with Disney's Ghibli discs - is the remastered visual presentation of the movie itself. Takahata rejects the eye-popping bright palettes of modern animation, instead relying on earthy greens and muddy browns. There's a rough texture to each image here - even the brightest patch of grass has been animated to look as though it's been stepped on one too many times. That detail carries over to the critters, too. Takahata alternates: Sometimes they're anthropomorphically rendered, and other times they're drawn in a more realistic manner. When the latter occurs, Takahata's animation grows denser: Each strand of fur and cheap tooth evocatively rendered. His films are environmentalist, but he's far more interested in capturing the imagery of his chosen environment than he is in preaching for its preservation.

"Pom Poko"
Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
Disney.com
$34.95