Customer Reviews

Panda Go Panda (Geneon Signature Series)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked this up for my niece and nephew (ages 4 & 5), who are both devoted "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Kiki's Delivery Service" fans. I was pretty excited that they loved Miyazaki, and wanted to keep them interested.

Well, they loved "Panda! Go Panda!" just as much as the other films. I was told they watched it five times in a row. Yay for Uncle Zack!

Of all of Miyazaki's films, this one is truly aimed at the younger crowd. There is very little of the multi-level storytelling that you will find in his later films. The pandas (who talk, by the way. I was pretty surprised by this, as Totoro does not talk.) are bundles of cuteness. The animation is decent, with lots of bright kid-friendly colors. The DVD is great, as it offers both an English and Japanese soundtrack. (It's a good film for people learning Japanese, because the vocab is limited.) This is very rare for imported kid's films.

And, I liked "Panda! Go Panda!" too. It's fun, light fare.

One of my daughter's favorites. And I read the synop. above and don't be fooled, the animation here is not that high quality,beautiful animation that you see with Kiki's Delvery Service or Totoro. However, the stories are very cute and sweet and young kids will love the independent little girl who befriends a Panda Papa and his Little One.

The stories are about a little girl who meets the pandas and takes care of them. This is not a Kratt Brother's show,the animals are much more human-y than Panda-y. The little girl cooks for them and they eat Curry. There's lots of adventure when the young Panda follows the little girl to school. The second story is about a train of Circus animals and a flood, but there's nothing frightening, as Papa Panda comes to the rescue and everyone is safe and sound.

The animation is simplistic, but still good and the stories are interesting but won't over-excite or frighten your child. And you'll find yourself humming the theme song over and over again, whether you like it or not . . .

Panda Kopanda (Panda! Go Panda!) was a 30 minute movie made in 1972. Animation super-creator Hayao Miyazaki created the original idea, the script, the layouts, and did key animation, and Isao Takahata directed the film. A 1973 sequel, Panda Kopanda: Amefuri Saakasu no Maki (Panda Kopanda & the Rainy-day Circus), continues the story and was made by the same people who made the first movie. The literal translation of the title Panda Kopanda is "Panda, Baby Panda", but it's been released as "Panda Go Panda" (basically because that's what the song sounds like.)

The movies were made at a time when "panda fever" was sweeping Japan. China donated a pair of pandas to Japan, and the public was very into them. These two movies are considered by many to be prototypes of Miyazake's My Neighbor Totoro due to the similar character designs and child-friendly nature throughout the films.

The story goes something like this: Mimiko's grandma is leaving to visit some friends, and must leave little Mimiko by herself. (I guess they can do that in Japan, eh...) After finally persuading her Grandma to leave, and seeing her off on the train, Mimiko returns home to find by her house a tiny, baby panda. It turns out he's not a toy, but real (named Kopanda), and they quickly become friends and then big Panda (Papanda-San) arrives. He's VERY big and very friendly. Since the house had a beautiful bamboo forest (pandas eat bamboo), they decided to live with her. The three became a family. Wacky adventures ensue...

The sequel, "Panda Kopanda and the Rainy Day Circus" is quite similar, with Grandma away again, (where is she going?) but this time with a circus arriving (complete with a cute baby Tiger who becomes friends with Kopanda), and a rainy day that rains so much that the rain floods up to Mimiko's house. Mimiko and the Pandas save the animals who are trapped in the circus train underwater.

The Panda Go Panda DVD combines the two features on one volume. If you liked Totoro, then there are elements here you will enjoy too. Although nowhere near as complex (visually or in narrative) Panda! Go Panda! has overwhelming charm and storybook simplicity. The features were made just for children, so keep that in mind. They're just plain fun.

My 2 1/2 year old son is rapidly wearing out the tape. It features cute animals with exciting (but not too dangerous) adventures, befriended by adorable Mimiko. The circus train scenes are great. If you're a die-hard anime fan, it will probably disappoint, but if you're a parent looking for a truly gentle G-rated film this is it. It also gives glimpses of typical Japanese life (school life, curry-and-rice dinners, etc.) which might be interesting for older viewers.

I have the original version in Japanese. The music is a little bit monotonous, but my son who is just 18 months seems to enjoy it. The film teach some good family values, but the tempo is extremely slow, but again, my son really enjoys all those cute character scenes!

Well Hayao Muyazaki did it again, or not quite again seeing how old this is.
I got the DVD a few days ago and I sat down and watched it. I can't say that I was surprised, but I was very happy with the purchase. Its a very cute 2 30 minute movies, VERY VERY cute. Some might find it too sugary, but if you like classic anime, this is where to go! The animation is SO ahead of it's time, like all of his work. It looked like it could have been made in the early 80s. The other great thing about this DVD is the menus, the are so alive and well animated.
If you like Miyazaki, or cute stuff, or have a young child in the house. GET THIS DVD!
Heck show your kids the Subtitled version, it will get em reading, and it is SO much better than the dub.

Panda Go Panda will now be added to my family's growing collection of children's Anime titles. Along with Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Secret of the Seal and Prince Mononoke (I'd call this PG-10 for violence), we have fallen in love with the odd characters and quirky situations posed in all of these movies.

Each of these movies underscores appreciation for the balance among man and nature.

Even my 4 year old son will sit through subtitled Japanese cartoons now!

Night on the Celestial Railroad is also in this vein, only much darker.

my 3 year old daughter, audrey cant stop watching this film.
she knows all the songs and every part.
i think its a cute movie but the dubbing isnt all that great...i can only take so much of papa pandas voice.
but as long as my child likes it, thats al that matters.
she also adores my neighbor tortorro and kikis delivery service...i think those films are simply wonderful and beautiful.

I got it new from Amazon with vary little info about the movie. (two short ones together) I heard that the movie is kiddy crap and not good for older age people like myself. I also read some reviews about the DVD on Animeondvd.com and they highly recommended it. And since Hayao Miyazaki had a hand in this movie I went on and buy it. The DVD menu is well design, but the most im happy about is the Jap dub being so original; even the music is original and not the same as the Eng dub. (with some anime DVDs they just put the Jap dub voice but not the original music) The story is short but simple and the characters are likable from the start. Im glad I got it and as for it being "kiddy crap".... its not. All ages will enjoy this flick.

Oh my god!!!! I would never have thought that I would end up doing this. My three year old loved this movie sooooo much that she watched it so often that when it was scratched I had to drive all over town looking for a replacement. No one had it and at the time it wasn't available on Amazon too. This is a great movie for young children and the story is simple and entertaining enough that you probably wouldn't mind watching it more than once. Definitely a good BUY. I still can't get the music out of my head!!!