Panda! Go Panda! (1972) Panda kopanda (original title)

Director:

Isao Takahata

Writers:

Hayao Miyazaki (original concept)
Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)

Release Date:

17 December 1972 (Japan)

Genre:

Family | Animation | Short

Plot:

When her grandmother goes away on a trip, 7-year-old Mimiko stays at home by herself in her small, friendly village...

Plot Keywords:

Panda | Anime | Grandmother Granddaughter Relationship | Animal In Title | Surrogate Family

Cast

Kazuko Sugiyama	...	Mimiko (voice)
Kazuo Kumakura	...	Papanda
Yoshiko Ohta	...	Pan-chan (voice)
Yasuo Yamada	...	Omawari-san
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alexis A. Edward	...	(voice: English version)
Katie Evans	...	(voice: English version)
Leigh Everest	...	(voice: English version)
Melissa Fahn	...	(voice: English version)
Barbara Goodson	...	(voice: English version)
Dougary Grant	...	(voice: English version)
W.T. Hatch	...	(voice: English version)
Chet Huntley	...	(voice: English version)
Steve Kramer	...	(voice: English version)
Cody MacKenzie	...	(voice: English version)
Melanie MacQueen	...	(voice: English version) (as Aline Leslie)
Julie Maddalena	...	Mimiko (voice: English version)
Mona Marshall	...	(voice: English version)
Jake Martin	...	(voice: English version) (as Dan Martin)
Simon Prescott	...	(voice: English version) (as Simon Isaacson)
Brianne Siddall	...	(voice: English version) (as Ian Hawk)
Peter Spellos	...	(voice: English version) (as G. Gordon Baer)
Doug Stone	...	(voice: English version) (as Gully Jimson)
Kirk Thornton	...	(voice: English version) (as Sparly Thornton)
Ayao Wada
Claude Wayne	...	(voice: English version)
Heidi Wilbur	...	(voice: English version)

Directed by
Isao Takahata

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Hayao Miyazaki		original concept
Hayao Miyazaki		screenplay

Original Music by
Masahiko Satô

Animation Department
Yuzo Aoki	....	key animator
Shingo Araki	....	key animator
Seiji Arihara	....	animator
Masako Chiba	....	animator
Kensetsu Fukuhara	....	animator
Hiroshi Fukutomi	....	animator
Kanchi Hara	....	animator
Kenji Haruki	....	animator
Tamayo Hirata	....	animator
Toshiyuki Honda	....	key animator
Takeo Horie	....	animator
Hideo Kawauchi	....	key animator
Hiroko Kikuchi	....	animator
Kenji Kitahara	....	key animator
Hiroko Kodama	....	animator
Takao Kohzai	....	key animator
Kenzô Koizumi	....	key animator
Yoshifumi Kondô	....	key animator
Yôichi Kotabe	....	animation director
Seishi Kubota	....	animator
Minoru Maeda	....	animator
Kazuyoshi Minato	....	animator
Hayao Miyazaki	....	key animator
Hayao Miyazaki	....	layout artist
Kazue Morimoto	....	animator
Hitoshi Motoki	....	key animator (as Hisatoshi Motoki)
Bushi Motoori	....	animator
Kôichi Murata	....	key animator
Mariko Murata	....	animator
Eiichi Nakamura	....	key animator
Kiyoshi Nakamura	....	animator
Shin'Ichi Ootake	....	animator
Shunji Saida	....	key animator
Yuko Sakashita	....	animator
Kazuyoshi Shimada	....	animator
Joubu Shinagawa	....	animator
Yumiko Suda	....	animator
Motoshi Suzuki	....	key animator
Yukio Suzuki	....	animator
Michiko Takahashi	....	animator
Tomoco Tanaka	....	animator
Tsutomu Tanaka	....	key animator
Megumi Ueno	....	animator
Hiroshi Wagatsuma	....	key animator
Michishiro Yamada	....	animator
Yasuhiro Yamaguchi	....	key animator
Yasuo Ôtsuka	....	animation director

Other crew
Hayao Miyazaki	....	screen design

Production Companies

• Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS)

Distributors

• Toho Company (1972) (worldwide) (all media)
• Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS) (1972) (worldwide) (all media)

Other Companies

• Fizz Sound Creation Co.  foley design studio (as Ishida Sound Group)
• Tokyo Laboratory Co. Ltd.  film processing
• Tokyo TV Center  technical support

Also Known As:

"Panda kopanda" - Japan (original title)

Runtime:

35 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Ireland:G | UK:U

Company:

Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS)

Trivia:

The little heroine Mimiko bears a superficial resemblance to Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking, who was a model for the character. Back in 1971 (a year before this film's release), Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata planned on doing an animated film adaptation of Lindgren's character. Both Miyazaki and Takahata went to Sweden to not only do location scouting, but personally discuss the production with Lindgren. Unfortunately, after their meeting, the rights were refused and the proposed project was canceled. (Watercolored storyboards by Miyazaki are among what remain of the project.)

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Urusei yatsura: Ran-chan's Great Date Plan (#4.13)" (1983)

Great for kids...interesting for Miyazaki and Takahata fans

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.