Pom Poko (1994)

Maurice LaMarche: Narrator

Quotes 

• Tanuki : [singing and carrying Gonta]  Moon, moon, moon shine bright, moon shine bright, so bright and long/ Shine, shine, shine on Gonta, pom poko pom pom, pom pom pom/

  Osho , Oroku : [singing]  You showed the world what we can do, now

  Front crowd of Tanuki : [chanting]  We have the greatness of Oroku, too!

  Tanuki : [singing]  All our friends are cheering for you/ That's the truth, we adore you/ Hail to Gonta, he's our god!/ Pom poko, pom pom, pom pom pom!

  Newsreader : [as the Tanuki chant Gonta's name in the background]  ... Nevertheless, a government spokesman stressed that the people of Tokyo are in such desperate need of living accomodations, that the new Tama development project will not be delayed, despite today's tragic accidents.

  [the tanuki stop celebrating and drop Gonta in surprise. They rush towards the TV, trampling Gonta in the process] 

  Newsreader : I repeat...

  Narrator : It was, needless to say, an unfortunate accident. Gonta, the mastermind behind the dangerous attacks against the humans, now suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries, that would take nearly a year to heal.

• Narrator : Some raccoons sold real estate, and, unable to resist the money they could make, promoted leveling even more forests.

  [Seizaemon, in human form, is shown on the phone] 

  Seizaemon : I've got a prime piece of forest just waiting to be developed!

• Shokichi : As soon as it's springtime, everybody goes crazy. All of a sudden they want to get married and have families. Nobody seems to remember Oroku's warning that we're not supposed to have any cubs. The second the sun hits their fur, they fall in love.

  [He and Kiyo gaze into each other's eyes] 

  Shokichi : But not us. You don't see us chasing after each other like we're lunatics. We can handle not getting married and not having cubs, don't you think?

  Kiyo : Of course we can. I'm so pleased. It's just what I'd hoped you'd say. You're... wonderful.

  [She embraces Shokichi passionately] 

  Shokichi : Yeah. We can hold off. I don't need to kiss, or cuddle, or rub noses or...

  Kiyo : [eyes burning with desire]  Oh, Shokichi.

  [She kisses him. She leans into Shokichi, then he leans into her] 

  Narrator : That was a mistake.

• First Drunk : I used to see stuff like that, too, when I was a kid. You know, monsters in the closet, that kind of thing.

  Second Drunk : When you're young, it seems sur... surreal. I swore I saw these ghosts... dancing on my ceiling.

  First Drunk : D'ahh, have another drink. You'll see them again.

  [the two laugh] 

  Second Drunk : Isn't that weird? Now, why do you think you see that?

  First Drunk : Do you think ghosts really exist?

  Second Drunk : Huh? Don't be stupid. It's your brain playing tricks.

  First Drunk : It must be... your brain plays tricks on you when you're young. Things like the boogeyman and monsters in the closet. They're all in your head. Because of... all the scary stories people tell you as a kid. It plants the seeds in your brain. So as a kid, you think it's real.

  [the second drunk laughs] 

  Second Drunk : Kids are suckers. Because, there's no way those ghost stories are real. Still, they frighten you half to death. Yep. The brain is scary that way. You think things, and then you see them, if they're real or not. Your ima...

  [He slowly turns around and sees a throng of strange creatures running across the sky] 

  Second Drunk : ... Agination...

  [Shocked, he gets up from his seat and stares at the sky] 

  Second Drunk : There really are monsters out there.

  First Drunk : [not noticing the monster parade]  See? We talk about ghosts and then you start to see 'em.

• Narrator : I now have a desk job, while my wife Kiyo works at a snack bar.