An early collaboration with Hayao Miyazaki, Takahata’s two Panda! Go Panda! films were made at the height of Japan’s early 1970s panda craze. The first film follows free-spirited redhead Mimiko, whose resemblance to Pippi Longstocking is surely not accidental, as she discovers a baby panda asleep in the bamboo grove near her house. Soon Papa Panda shows up as well. The three quickly form an adorable family unit, but the local zookeeper may disrupt it. Foreshadows of My Neighbor Totoro are evident as Mimiko bonds with the sweetly towering Papa Panda and Baby Panda, his tiny double. 

In The Rainy Day Circus, the panda family adds a new member, big-eared baby tiger Tiny, and embarks on a journey to rescue an entire train of other circus animals.  

Nature and art collaborate in Takahata’s delightful short feature Gauche the Cellist. Set in the early 20th century, Takahata’s film follows its titular cellist as he struggles with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6. Part of the Venus Orchestra, Gauche is a diligent player but still rough around the edges. Over several nights, he is visited by different woodland animals who help him connect with music in a new way. A loving ode to the countryside—it’s no wonder the piece Gauche is trying to play is known as “the Pastoral Symphony”—Takahata’s film has echoes of classic Disney Silly Symphonies such as The Old Mill.

Panda! Go Panda! 
Director: Isao Takahata. Cast: Kazuko Sugiyama, Kazuo Kumakura, Yoshiko Ohta, Ayao Wada. 1972. 34 min. Japan. Color. Japanese. DCP. 

Panda! Go Panda! The Rainy Day Circus 
Director: Isao Takahata. Cast: Hiroko Maruyama, Kazuko Sugiyama, Kazuo Kumakura, Yoshiko Ohta. 1973. 38 min. Japan. Color. Japanese. DCP. 

Gauche the Cellist 
Director: Isao Takahata. Cast: Hideki Sasaki, Fuyumi Shiraishi, Kaneta Kimotsuki, Masashi Amenomori. 1982. 63 min. Japan. Color. Japanese. DCP.

All film screenings of Everyday Life: The Films of Isao Takahata are available here.