This is a very cute little film. The animation is limited but elegant, the characters are very appealing (The Papa in particular is an interesting Proto-Totoro figure) and the story is very easy for young ones to follow. Adults will not really find much of interest unless the are real Miyazaki complete-ists like myself. And the song will stick in your brain.
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nmx9 August 2000This endearing tale is a fine example of Hayao Miyazaki's lighter writing. Papa (papanda) really elevates the amusement....and the theme song is perfectly suited.
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Tweekums12 January 2020This short film from Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, who would go on to create Studio Ghibli, is centred on seven year old Mimiko. When the grandmother she lives with goes away she must live alone for a while. She isn't frightened though. When she returns home to her house in a bamboo grove she is surprised to find a panda cub, which she names Pan-chan (Panny in the subtitles), outside. She quickly befriends him. Shortly afterwards the cub's father, dubbed Papa, turns up and they form a somewhat unlikely family. We then get fun antics as Panny follows Mimiko to school and the authorities turn up looking for Papa and Panny.
I suspected this would be even more aimed at children than 'My Neighbour Totoro' and 'Ponyo'; perhaps it is but it is so charming that is can be enjoyed by all ages, much like those two films I mentioned. The film might not have the detail of Ghibli's films but it is clear that the style is developing already; most obviously how Totoro looks quite similar to Papa Panda. There are only three main characters, of which only Mimiko and Papa speak, they are a lot of fun to watch as they interact with each other and get up to mild antics... I was particularly amused by Panny's troubles at school. Overall I thought this was utterly charming; a great way to introduce very young children to the delights of anime as well as being a lot of fun for any fan of Miyazaki and Takahata.
These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles. -
This is an anime of 2 TV movies about a girl and 2 pandas made back in the early 70s. Done by 2 Master filmmakers: Isao Takahata(Grave of the Firflies, Only Yesterday, Pom Poko, and My Neighbors the Yamadas) directed it. And Hayao Miyazaki(Nausicaa, My Neighbor Totoro, Porco Rosso, Mononoke, Spirited Away, etc.) wrote it/animation key/screen played it.
It's known to be Miyazaki's promo to My neighbor Totoro, instead of a big furry forest spirit, it's a big panda bear. This all has to do with a little girl now living by herself till she encounters a small Panada and a big Panda which she decides to keep them as her own family.
The animation is well done for an anime from the 70s. Once you watch it you'll be surprised this anime was actually written by the Famed Hayao Miyazaki. The story of this anime didn't even looked like it was done by Miyazaki. It doesn't have much of his usual trademarks he'd often put in his films.
I wouldn't blame him for not putting too much effort in writing an anime about Pandas, since this is back when he did TV anime and before he moved to doing Anime movies. Just this one isn't as memorable as his other works.
Overrole it's decent for one of Miyazaki's earlier works before he did Castle of Cagliostro. Recommended for all ages, the Big Panda smokes a pipe, but there's nothing too offending, perfectly safe for little kids to watch.
Only flaw is it might give kids a wrong idea about burglars are fun to have and it's OK to stay home alone. So you parents out there make sure they don't get any ideas that burglars and staying home alone is fun. -
xnicofingerx29 December 2023The long opening credits may throw some younger viewers off track at first. On the other hand, there is a catchy tune that invites even those unfamiliar with Japanese to sing along. Familiar Heidi vibes in terms of illustration, with no common thread in terms of content, but rather a colourful one. I would almost say that what is shown is pretty weird, but all this craziness is wonderfully entertaining and endearing. A format for young and old, it feels like a precursor to later Ghibli works such as Totoro. The full-throttle mode that's used here is cancelled out by the pleasant running time. A little secret treasure that should definitely be discovered!
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Yodie_2001Odessy11 March 2001Panda! Go Panda! is a great film for everyone young and young at heart. Panda! is the story of a little girl who has no papa and mama, who meets two pandas, a papa and a baby who join her little family and have really cool adventures. My favorite scenes are the ones with Neimiko and Papa and Panny sailing on a bed over a flooded town. A must see for all animation fans!
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Horst_In_Translation10 September 2015"Panda kopanda" is a Japanese 35-minute film from almost 45 years ago. It is a collaboration by director Isao Takahata and writer Hayao Miyazaki, two of Japan's finest animation filmmakers of the last 50 years. Obviously, they were still fairly young when this came out. The story is about a little girl who is alone after her grandma leaves and first she meets a panda cub and then the cub's father and the two become a harmonic family. Some comedic drama ensues when the girl has to go back to school and the little panda causes all kinds of mayhem on the school area, especially the cafeteria. And in the end, the big panda daddy is told that he has to return to the zoo, but they cannot make a movie where the little girl is alone in the end again, can they? Watch for yourself. I recommend this movie. It was a funny watch most of the time, even if the big talking panda was pretty awkward occasionally. The girl was animated nicely and a delight to watch with all her energy. If you enjoyed this one, check out the sequel as well. It's also under 40 minutes long. Both films are probably only for very young audiences, or for those young at heart. Thumbs up.
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alexybj2128 January 2012I Saw A Little Clip Of Panda KoPanda (Go Panda Go!)And I Thought This Will Be Cute But Blech.... I Was So Wrong! I Was Shocked How Much I Actually Loved This Film (And Rainy Day Circus) It Was One Of The Most Cute Things I Have Ever Seen! I Have Seen All Of Studio Ghibli's Movies It Was Cool To See Iaso And Hayo Before They Were Big Directors (And The Best Studio In The World :) The Plot Was Cute, And Just Very Fun. I Actually Watched It By Myself (I Thought I Should Watch It With My 5 Year Old Sister) And I Really Did Enjoy It! Honestly Bouth Films Are Great! Some People Say The 1st Panda Ko Panda Is A Hair Better Than The 2nd... But I Think Bouth Are A Perfect 10! I Wish More People Knew About This Movie! I Watched The Engish-Dub Version I Thought It Was Fine.. Picky People :) One Of My Favorite Movies :D
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Okay, maybe my expectations were set too high up. I mean, I thought this would be a cute TV film when I first saw the poster, even more so after I found out that Hayao Miyazaki created the whole idea of this film. Well, let me tell you this, "Panda! Go Panda!", while having cute music to go along with the seemingly-cute characters, was a big disappointment. I thought the whole idea of a small child having familial relationships with pandas was just ridiculous and too over the top.
Then again, I could just be saying all of this because of the HORRIBLE English dubbing. I searched everywhere for a Japnanese dub/English subbed version of this short film, but to no avail. I'm still glad I got to get a chance, of seeing Hayao Miyazaki's earlier works. It goes to show that he's really improved from the olden days. This might have been popular back in the 1970s, but I just didn't feel it..
Tip for those who want to watch it: Don't watch the English dubbing. The voices, particularly Papanda's, were annoying and turned me off. Otherwise, this could be a good film for very young children. It definitely wasn't targeted for anyone older than 7, though.
Viewed on: May 1, 2011 -
sebastianleacey18 October 2021I can't even remember where the shop that held this amazing dvd was but I thank them greatly, for it is wonderful for anyone who is interested in family development; anime, pandas or if you just want a good laugh.