My Neighbors the Yamadas

My Neighbors the Yamadas (ホーホケキョとなりの山田くん , Hōhokekyo Tonari no Yamada-kun) is a Studio Ghibli film written and directed by Isao Takahata. The film was released in Japan on July 17, 1999. 
The film is different than other Studio Ghibli films due to its completion in a comic art-style and watercolors, resulting in an "unfinished" appearance. The film does not possess one main storyline, but 2-8 minute "sketches".
There is a 61 episode sequel series titled Nono-chan.
The film is available for streaming on Max, and purchasable on most digital storefronts.
== Synopsis ==
This film is about the daily lives of the Yamada family: Takashi and Matsuko (the father and mother), Shige (Matsuko's mother), Noboru (aged approximately 13, the son), Nonoko (aged approximately 5, the daughter), and Pochi (the family dog). It has a significantly different "feel" to it than other Studio Ghibli films, not only because of its different style of animation, but also because it is not a contiguous plot, but rather a series of vignettes, each preceded by a title such as "Father as Role Model", "A Family Torn Apart" or "Patriarchal Supremacy Restored". 
These vignettes cover such issues as losing a child in a department store, the relationships between father and son, or husband and wife, the wisdom of age, getting one's first girlfriend and many more. Each is presented with humour, presenting a very believable picture of family life which crosses cultural boundaries. 
The relationships between Matsuko, Takashi and Shige are particularly well observed, with Shige giving advice and proverbs to all the family members and having a great strength of character which far outweighs Matsuko's. Takashi and Matsuko's the focus of the episodes, their rivalries, such as arguing about who has control of the television, their frustrations and their difficulties, but the overriding theme is their love for one another, despite their flaws, and their desire to be the best parents possible for their children.
== Characters ==
*Takashi Yamada (Yamada Takashi) - Father
*Matsuko Yamada (Yamada Matsuko) - Mother
*Noboru Yamada (Yamada Noboru) - Son
*Nonoko Yamada (Yamada Nonoko) - Daughter
*Shige Yamano (Yamano Shige) - Grandmother/Matsuko's Mother
*Pochi - Family Dog
== Production ==
Based on the newspaper comic strip of the same name (though later named Nono-chan) by Hisaichi Ishii, it is the first completely digital Studio Ghibli film. Takahata wanted Yamada-kun to have the art style of watercolor pictures rather than cel pictures. To achieve that, the traditional paint-on-cel techniques were replaced with digital technology, making Yamada-kun the first Ghibli film to have animation drawings painted entirely on computers.
The English version was produced by Rick Dempsey and Ned Lott.
== Release ==
*27 July 1999 - Movie theater in Japan
*January 2000 - VHS release
*2005 - Dubbing by Disney
*2007 - DVD release in Japan
*7 March 2012 - DVD release by Pan Vision
Despite positive reviews, the film did not fare as well at the box office in Japan as other Ghibli films.
===Home media===
My Neighbors the Yamadas was released on DVD in America in August 2005, alongside another Takahata film, Pom Poko by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. A Blu-ray version was released in Japan in 2010, and in the UK the following year. The US never got a Blu-ray release by Disney, but GKIDS released the movie on Blu-ray for the first time in the US, as well as re-issuing the DVD under a new deal with Studio Ghibli on January 16, 2018.
== Soundtrack ==
please see My Neighbors the Yamadas/Soundtrack
== Accolades ==
My Neighbors the Yamadas received an Excellence Award for animation at the 1999 Japan Media Arts Festival.
== Voice cast ==
Character 	Original 	English
Takashi Yamada 	Toru Masuoka 	James Belushi
Matsuko Yamada 	Yukiji Asaoka 	Molly Shannon
Noboru Yamada 	Hayato Isobata 	Daryl Sabara
Nonoko Yamada 	Naomi Uno 	Liliana Mumy
Shige Yamano 	Masako Araki 	Tress MacNeille
Haiku Reader/Narrator 	Kosanji Yanagiya 	David Ogden Stiers
Ghibli cheering section	Yoshiko Fujiyama 	Yoshiko Fujiyama
Ghibli cheering section	Arata Furuta 	Arata Furuta
Ghibli cheering section	Shouichi Furutashima	Shouichi Furutashima
Ghibli cheering section	Yousuke Inaba 	Yousuke Inaba
Ghibli cheering section	Yūki Itō 	Yūki Itō
Ghibli cheering section	Yuuta Komatsuzaki 	Yuuta Komatsuzaki
Ghibli cheering section	Takumi Kanazawa 	Takumi Kanazawa
Ghibli cheering section	Miyuki Kawamoto 	Miyuki Kawamoto
Ghibli cheering section	Junpei Mano 	Junpei Mano
Ghibli cheering section	Akira Matsuda 	Akira Matsuda
Ghibli cheering section	Michiko Nishida 	Michiko Nishida
Ghibli cheering section	Minori Ohnishi 	Minori Ohnishi
Ghibli cheering section	Akira Saitou 	Akira Saitou
Ghibli cheering section	Kazuhiro Shindou 	Kazuhiro Shindou
Ghibli cheering section	Rie Tanaka 	Rie Tanaka
Ghibli cheering section	Sadanobu Terashita 	Sadanobu Terashita
Ghibli cheering section	Yasuko Tomita 	Yasuko Tomita
Ghibli cheering section	Haruki Tsuji 	Haruki Tsuji
Ghibli cheering section	Mizuho Tsushima 	Mizuho Tsushima
Ghibli cheering section	Jun Yamanishi 	Jun Yamanishi
Ghibli cheering section	Hideaki Yoshino 	Hideaki Yoshino
===Additional Voices===
*Original: Akiko Yano (Fujihara), Miyako Chouchou (Special Appearance), Tamao Nakamura (Special Appearance), Suguru Edgawa, Isao Imai, Ryuutarou Kamioka, Tsurube Shōfukutei
*English: Jeff Bennett, Alex Buck, AJ Buckley, Corey Burton, Dixie Carter, Erin Chambers (Department Store Clerk), Marlee Cheatham, Flo Di Re, Melissa Disney, Amber Hood (Shop Girl), Edie McClurg, Jim Meskimen, Jon Miller, Ashley Rose Orr, Jordan Orr, Trenton Rogers (Toshio Kimura), Jeremy Shada, Matthew Underwood, Billy West
==External Links==
Official Site
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*Official site
==Navigation==
Category:Films
Category:Films directed by Isao Takahata
de:Meine Nachbarn die Yamadas
es:Mis vecinos los Yamada
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