Ghibli has definitely over the year brought us so many amazing and creative movies. Each with interesting themes, memorable characters and moments and so much beautiful animation. But despite all of that, if anyone would ask me which one's my favourite, I could easily say that it definitely and without any doubt would be this one.

Their movie portraying the silly enviromental war between the Tanukis and the humans! And their attempt at saving their home from the humans trying destroy it...

There are so many things about this movie, that I just love and that just make it my favourite of the Ghibli movies that I could talk for hours about. While there is the obvious enviromental theme with them trying to stop the building projects, there are so many underlying themes going on as well. Themes of identity and losing it, of fighting against the nature of your own species, themes of leadership and having to take difficult choices...

One of the things that makes this work for me especially is the slowly shifting tone of the movie. We watch the Tanukis over a long time and at first, the film starts kinda silly and cartoony. The humans are just kinda bad guys, that easily get scared by the Tanukis silly tricks and pranks.

The first thing these Tanukis did after killing some of the workers is celebrating and having a big party about it, not even giving it that much thought what they did. To them these were just some evil humans that they gladly defended their home from.

And there is this generally feeling that this is all just one big silly game. That certainly if they keep going, those humans will at some point have to understand. That they will stop this building project and just leave the Tanukis and their home alone.

But as the movie progresses and things start growing more and more hopeless...it starts hitting the Tanukis and the viewers with the reality of the situation. That these Tanukis are fighting essentially a losing battle. That every single one of their attempt of stop the humans was only something temporary at best. And at worst that most of the things they did were just brushed off by the humans.

Especially late in the movie, you can feel this sense of sadness and tragedy. Not just in the story, but the animation and especially the backgrounds, how decrepit and cold everything starts to look. How all the cartoony and silly moments and the colours just disappear, letting the reality of their situation settle in.

The silly little arguments about what they should do with the humans that were quickly resolved start cause full on rifts between the Tanukis, some even believe that all the humans should just die, while others just wanna keep going as they did, while others just give up and simply wanna go back to the way things always were before the whole thing even started...

There are even some thoughts of abandoning the non-transforming Tanukis and simply living hidden among the humans.

And it is this slow tone-shift from a comedy to a tragedy that makes so much of this film stick with me even to this day and which makes it one of my favourite movies to rewatch from time to time.

Add to that the usual great Ghibli animation. Which, since this is about shapeshifting Raccoons, allows them to have so many more creative and interesting uses of their powers. The parade scene still is a definite highlight for me in how it uses its animation, japanese folklore creatures and the to this point still hopeful tone of the movie for the most memorable moment.

And as said before, the subtle changes from the early movie with it being quite colourful and silly to the later parts becoming darker, sadder in a way still deserves a mention.

I've seen some debate about the ending, but I do think it is fitting for this entire movie. It is tragic, since they lost and now are forced to live hidden among the humans. But it is hopeful, as some of the wild ones still managed to find some way to survive despite everything. Like the movie is saying nature does find some way to exist.

As for the characters literally talking to the viewers asking them for help, once again in my opinion it does fit this movies themes perfectly. Since its up to the humans to protect the animals. Since the Tanukis were supernatural shapeshifting beings and even they lost against humans. And that the only ones who can stand up for them are other humans.

Overall, having rewatched it again for this review, I can safely say that this is still one of my favourite Ghibli movies. And it probably will be for a long time.