Japan Release: 1972
Running Time: 35 minutes

Panda! Go Panda!

パンダコパンダ
[Panda-Kopanda]

A young girl named Mimiko lives all alone with her grandmother near a bamboo grove. Her grandma decides to make a trip for her husband's funeral, leaving the small girl on her own in the house. Alone, Mimiko discovers a talking baby panda, called Pan, in her garden along with its papa. Seeing their dynamic, Mimiko mentions that she never had parents of her own. Shocked by this revelation, Papa Panda insists he adopt the girl as his own daughter. Excited, Mimiko agrees, although on the condition that she gets to be Pan's mother. The trio set out to live what Mimiko feels is normal, suburban life, although she struggles to raise Pan who insistently follows her, including to school...

Anime

Titles

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Panda! Go Panda!
US Distributor: Pioneer (2000) / Time: 75 Minutes

Panda Go Panda
[Literal translation]

The Adventures of Panda and Friends
[Portuguese]

Staff

Cast

Posters

DVDs and Blu-rays

Background and Trivia

• Was released as part of the Toho Champion Festival, which bundled a variety of content together to create longer sessions for cinema goers. This movie was shown alongside Destroy All Monsters (1968) and Daigoro vs. Goliath (1972).
• Director Isao Takahata states that they pitched the idea of Panda! Go Panda! to Toho for years to no avail. The director credits the announcement of Toei's 1973 The Panda's Great Adventure as what prompted Toho to finally agree to distribute Panda! Go Panda!. The context of this makes sense in respect to the Toho Champion Festival, as this was in direct response to Toei's "Manga Festival" and beating them to the "panda punch" and combining it with Godzilla held interest. This fact is noted in a 2001 interview with the director found on the Panda! Go Panda! DVD release.
• Both Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata quit their current jobs due to a desire for more creative freedom so they could make an anime on Pippi Longstocking. However, author Astrid Lindgren felt his character didn't need to be turned into an Anime and did not license the rights. As a result of not being able to create that project, Takahata admits Mimiko from this film is very reminiscent of what could be called a "Japanese Pippi Longstocking". Noted in a 2001 interview on the Panda! Go Panda! DVD release.
• Director Isao Takahata credits Papa Panda as being the template for Totoro from the later Hayao Miyazaki film My Neighbor Totoro (1988). Mentioned during a 2001 interview on the Panda! Go Panda! DVD release.
• During the zoo crowd scene, which pans across a large number of onlookers, there are two characters that look like Lupin and Jigen from the Lupin the 3rd series. Director Isao Takahata has at least confirmed in a 2001 interview about Lupin being intentional and that they wanted a scene to sneak him in. This account stated on the Panda! Go Panda! DVD release.

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