This is another fav. Studio Ghilbi movie. It made me happy and sad at the same time.

Pom Poko (Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko, lit. "Heisei-era Raccoon Dog War Pom Poko", also known as The Raccoon War) is a 1994 Japanese animated film written and directed by Isao Takahata and animated by Studio Ghibli.

The film plays heavily upon Japanese folklore and here are some basic facts which may help you find the film less baffling.

* Tanuki in Japanese folklore are mischievous, lazy, cheerful and gullible creatures who use their supernatural shape-shifting powers to trick humans. It is often said that a Tanuki would put a leaf on top of their head and chant in order to change its form into anything (for example, a monk). They are also said to try to con humans with leaves turned into banknotes, although in the film this act is meant to be prohibited.

* Statues of tanuki can be seen everywhere in Japan, especially in temples and shrines, often holding a barrel of sake.

* In Japanese folklore, foxes are also supernatural creatures (known as kitsune) with an ability to transform itself into a human form. However, in contrast to the absent-minded tanuki, kitsune are usually portrayed as more witty, cunning and sometimes malicious. Kitsune are also messengers of (or sometimes a depiction of) Inari, the Shinto god of rice. In the film, a tanuki manages to terrify the humans planning to move a shrine by appearing as a white fox. Statues of kitsune mark the estimated 30,000 to 40,000 outdoor Inari shrines scattered throughout Japan.

* The stone statues which the Tanukis turn into are those of Jizo, the protective deity of travellers, people condemned to Hell, and the souls of stillborn, miscarried, and aborted fetuses. The roadside statues are a common sight in Japan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pom_Poko

Japan is proof that no amount of strange television can morally ruin a nation. If you are wondering why the raccoon has gigantic balls there is actually a reason for it... especially if you watched Pom Poko by Studio Ghilbi.

It's not a Miyazaki? Wow...I just assumed. I have the Studio Ghilbi box set and I didn't even think to look at who directed the films. I guess I thought since there were so many Miyazaki's that he directed it as well. In retrospect, I should have known. It is such a heartbreaking film, and I remember thinking how amazing it was that Miyazaki took such a plotline. (I won't spoil it, just in case) Now I know why...because he didn't.

Thanks for the recommendation. I have Pom Poko in the box set, but I haven't had a chance to see it. I thought it was a Miyazaki, too. That'll teach me not to read the back.

Actually Daphne you are mistaken, the background of Grave of the Fireflies is more tragic in reality, the anime is an adaptation of the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka, intended as a personal apology to the author's own sister. And was written and directed by Isao Takahata for Studio Ghilbi. Hayao Miyazaki wasn't directly involved in this, something I could clearly make out as he would never make a story that's this tragic.

Hayao Miyazaki is the Hans Christian Anderson of the animated medium. When I first discovered his films, not only was I blown away by their plot lines and quality but the sheer number of them... Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle...

If you liked Grave of the Fireflies I would highly reccomend, Pom Poko by Isao Takahata.

By the way I watched Grave of the Fireflies only once in my life. But it's effect was so deep that I cannot bear to watch it again anytime soon.