50th Anniv. Re-Release Trailer for Anime Classic ‘Panda! Go Panda!’
by Alex Billington
April 22, 2022
Source: YouTube
“I’m positive you and I are gonna be friends!” GKids has revealed a new trailer for the re-release of a classic anime film from 1972 titled Panda! Go Panda!. Animation geeks may be familiar with this one already, but fro everyone else, this is a seminal film in Japanese cinema history. It was the first film made by Studio Ghibli co-founders Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki made years before they went on to found their own studio. The original Panda! Go Panda! film is only 34 minutes and will be re-released with another classic film (Rainy Day Circus). A Papa Panda and his son escape from the zoo in search of a home and find one with a little orphan girl. The pandas decide to stay with her and become her new family. They, then, find a lost circus tiger and help him find his way back. GKids is re-releasing this super fun classic in cinemas in the US starting this May, with a nationwide opening to follow after starting in NY & LA. If you love Japanese animation, this is an obvious must-watch on the big screen during this special cinema re-release. Go panda!
Here’s the 50th Anniversary re-release trailers (Japanese + English) for Panda! Go Panda!, on YouTube:
Mimiko is a cheerful young girl who is left on her own while her grandmother is away. When little Panny Panda and his father Papanda stumble into her home, Mimiko welcomes them in as her new family. Adventures ensue as Mimiko discovers the challenges of taking care of her new cuddly friends. Directed by Isao Takahata and based on a concept by Hayao Miyazaki, Panda! Go Panda! is a charming early-career classic from two animation legends before they co-founded the award-winning Studio Ghibli. Panda! Go Panda! is directed by acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Isao Takahata, his second film at the time following directing Horus: Prince of the Sun in 1968. The screenplay is written by Hayao Miyazaki. Made by Tokyo Movie Shinsha (now TMS Entertainment). The 1972 feature was first released at the height of the “panda craze” of 1972, following the loan of a pair of giant pandas from China to the Ueno Zoo in Japan. Included in the upcoming release are both Panda! Go Panda (1972) and Rainy Day Circus (1973), released collectively as Panda! Go Panda! this year. The 50th Anniversary special event double feature will release in select US theaters (starting in NY & LA) starting on May 6th, 2022 this summer. For more info, visit GKids’ website.
