From the very first minute or so I loved this film. It is about a community of racoons whose forest is being displaced by urban development. Like the creatures from Japanese folktales, these racoons have the ability to change form. It shows their varied efforts to stop the development and save their forest -- each ultimately doomed for failure. Given the way the film ends, you would expect this movie to be a downer, but it isn't.
The story is told in a variety of voices and styles. It is both sweet and satirical both at the same time. Like other Studio Ghibli films, its main themes are pacifistic and environmental in kind. A comical note in the film is the importance of the male racoons' pouches -- but also apparently true to Japanese folktale. Of the films I've seen, this one is easily my favorite one to date. Highly recommended.
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