Pompoko

"Pom Poko," one of the latest offerings in the Studio Ghibli retrospective at the IFC Center, was not directed by the studio's animation master, Hayao Miyazakibut it certainly has its influence. Directed by Isao Takahataa regular collaborator of Mr. Miyazaki, the 1994 film credits Mr. Miyazaki with "planning," and it's easy to understand: its ecological concerns, nuances and occasional lyricism place it squarely within Ghibli's oeuvre.

The plot revolves around an enclave of tanuki (raccoon-like creatures from Japanese folklore) threatened by encroaching urban development, who initiate a campaign of deception on construction sites, thanks to their power to shape-shift (an ability, we are told, shared with foxes and "some old cats").

To prepare, a feisty grandmother trains the inexperienced to transform with a standing somersault; an expedition searches for three aloof, marching shape-shifting experts; and raccoons go incognito through the city streets. Meanwhile, a couple courts and breeds.

With so many diffuse characters and subplots, and a very intense pace, attention can be elusive. Adding to the dispersion is a visual style that vacillates between poetic realism and comic caricature; dramatic depictions alternate with doe-eyed antics, a contrast that suggests the naturalism of Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke" along with his earlier "Cagliostro's Castle."

Many passages are startling. (Some - such as a raccoon run over in a bloody puddle - will be disturbing to younger viewers.)


As in Miyazaki's best films, there is no easy resolution. But the supreme act of endurance is a glorious parade of mystical figures for the city: a last defense of endangered animals and the pleasures of enchantment in the face of a bloodless industrial world.