Cheerful Mimiko’s small family grows when she adopts a talking baby panda and his full-grown papa. Despite Mimiko's best efforts, the appearance of Panny and Papa Bear disrupts the quiet pace of life in town, prompting zookeepers to reclaim the escaped bear pair.
Direction
Takahata's debut already shows his genius for emotional storytelling.
Director
Isao Takahata
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Hayao Miyazaki's first collaboration with Isao Takahata, essentially the proto-Ghibli origin story.
Created partly because Japan was panda-obsessed after receiving two real pandas in 1972—pure capitalistic adorable opportunism.
JP
