Pom Poko

(1994) dir Isao Takahata [119 min; DCP; English language version]

In this brilliant and often overlooked Studio Ghibli masterpiece from Takahata, the forests are filled with groups of magical tanuki, mischievous raccoon-like animals from Japanese folklore that are capable of shape-shifting from their standard raccoon form to practically any object. The tanuki spend their days playing idly in the hillsides and squabbling over food – until the construction of a huge new Tokyo suburb clears the nearby forest and threatens their way of life.