Do not let the raccoon testicles fool you. Pom Poko is a devastating film. And thanks to the powerhouse cast of Simmons, Posehn, Brown, LaMarche, and Richardson, the English dub captures every ounce of that devastation—while still making you laugh at a giant magical raccoon sack. It is, without hyperbole, one of the most unique voice acting ensembles in Ghibli’s library.
In the sprawling, imaginative catalogue of Studio Ghibli, films often fall into distinct emotional categories. There are the soaring adventures like Castle in the Sky , the whimsical childhood fantasies like My Neighbor Totoro , and the profound dramas like Grave of the Fireflies . Sitting uniquely between fantasy and ecological fable is Isao Takahata’s 1994 masterpiece, Pom Poko . pom poko english dub cast
Did you know that was actually Japan's submission for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 67th Academy Awards? Do not let the raccoon testicles fool you
Unlike the Kiki’s Delivery Service dub (which softened the text), the Pom Poko dub is remarkably faithful. The actors are allowed to be weird, loud, and sad. Brian Posehn’s Gonta doesn’t sound like a cartoon hero; he sounds like a drunk uncle crying about the woods he grew up in. That authenticity is rare. It is, without hyperbole, one of the most
A tale of tanuki (raccoon dogs) fighting a desperate war of survival against urbanization, the film is a vibrant, sometimes chaotic, and deeply moving exploration of the clash between tradition and modernity. For Western audiences, the gateway to this story has largely been the 2005 English dub produced by Walt Disney Studios. For fans searching for the the inquiry reveals a desire to understand the voices that brought these shape-shifting creatures to life.
To make the environmental message hit home, the human characters must feel real.
For decades, Studio Ghibli has captivated global audiences with its lush animation and profound storytelling. While films like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro received immediate international acclaim, some Ghibli gems took longer to find their Western audience. One such film is Isao Takahata’s 1994 environmental epic, Pom Poko (Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko).