Rating: 
Summary: Good Panda family fun
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: my daughters favorite movie
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Who Knew Panda's Liked Curry So Much?
Review: 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 . . .
Rating: 
Summary: Those Kooky Japanese
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Storybook Charm and Simplicity
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining first attempt Totoro-like fare
Review: This one is a bit difficult to rate because there are certainly some faults that can be leveled at it. While Miyazaki is world famous for creating works for young people that will be equally enjoyed by adults, Panda! Go Panda! does not quite live up to that standard. Some of these parts will only be enjoyable by the 6 year olds they are aimed at, but this is relatively infrequent. Also, the plot is at times seemingly weak for Miyazaki, while still being above standards for this sort of film. Personally I found the original soundtrack (not the new one used in the dub) to be very enjoyable, and the entire film has a wonderful whimsical-like quality that is to be found only in classic children literature. And mentioning children lit, Panda is steeped int references, though some may be more obscure (in the second short, there are a few minutes that seem directly taken from one of Jansson's Moomin books, something relatively unknown in the US but nonetheless quite well known in the international scene.) Where the film falls short is in the low level of animation (but it is still quite identifiably the people who would later make Totoro) and the sometimes pedestrial plot, but still delivers consistantly enough not to dissapoint. This will be true especially for people who have enjoyed Totoro or other works by Miyazaki. Lastly, while this certainly isn't the release I had been hoping for, with so much of Miyazaki's/studio Ghibli's work unavailable in this country or caught up in lengthy delays, this may be the fix to get you through the long months ahead.
Rating:
Summary: I love this stuff!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: I love this stuff!
Review: 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.
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