That was an excellent one.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

"Panda kopanda" is a Japanese 35-minute film from almost 45 years ago. It is a collaboration by director Isao Takahata and writer Hayao Miyazaki, two of Japan's finest animation filmmakers of the last 50 years. Obviously, they were still fairly young when this came out. The story is about a little girl who is alone after her grandma leaves and first she meets a panda cub and then the cub's father and the two become a harmonic family. Some comedic drama ensues when the girl has to go back to school and the little panda causes all kinds of mayhem on the school area, especially the cafeteria. And in the end, the big panda daddy is told that he has to return to the zoo, but they cannot make a movie where the little girl is alone in the end again, can they? Watch for yourself. I recommend this movie. It was a funny watch most of the time, even if the big talking panda was pretty awkward occasionally. The girl was animated nicely and a delight to watch with all her energy. If you enjoyed this one, check out the sequel as well. It's also under 40 minutes long. Both films are probably only for very young audiences, or for those young at heart. Thumbs up.

Okay, maybe my expectations were set too high up. I mean, I thought this would be a cute TV film when I first saw the poster, even more so after I found out that Hayao Miyazaki created the whole idea of this film. Well, let me tell you this, "Panda! Go Panda!", while having cute music to go along with the seemingly-cute characters, was a big disappointment. I thought the whole idea of a small child having familial relationships with pandas was just ridiculous and too over the top.Then again, I could just be saying all of this because of the HORRIBLE English dubbing. I searched everywhere for a Japnanese dub/English subbed version of this short film, but to no avail. I'm still glad I got to get a chance, of seeing Hayao Miyazaki's earlier works. It goes to show that he's really improved from the olden days. This might have been popular back in the 1970s, but I just didn't feel it..Tip for those who want to watch it: Don't watch the English dubbing. The voices, particularly Papanda's, were annoying and turned me off. Otherwise, this could be a good film for very young children. It definitely wasn't targeted for anyone older than 7, though.Viewed on: May 1, 2011

Panda! Go Panda! is a great film for everyone young and young at heart. Panda! is the story of a little girl who has no papa and mama, who meets two pandas, a papa and a baby who join her little family and have really cool adventures. My favorite scenes are the ones with Neimiko and Papa and Panny sailing on a bed over a flooded town. A must see for all animation fans!

This endearing tale is a fine example of Hayao Miyazaki's lighter writing. Papa (papanda) really elevates the amusement....and the theme song is perfectly suited.