As the tanuki fly off in a train of spirits and ghosts, immediately before beginning project "Poltergeist", images characters from other Ghibli works can be seen, including that of Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), Porco Rosso's Seaplane from Porco Rosso (1992), Totoro on his top from My Neighbor Totoro (1988), and young Taeko from Only Yesterday (1991) can be seen flying just above the winged skeleton.
Official submission of Japan for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category of the 67th Academy Awards in 1995.
Creatures shown in order of appearance during project poltergeist: - Shadows of hungry spirits. - Inari upon fox. - Foxes (Kitsune) performing Fox Wedding. - Lantern-spirit. - Skeleton. - Umbrella. - Fire breathing tiger. - Oni. - Shoki the Demon Slayer. - Agyo. - Tiny people performing funeral rights. - Raijin (God of Rain). - Fuujin (God of Wind). - Various squids and a fish. - Lantern. - Tengu. - Bulbs. - Bowing child-like samurai. - Maneki neko faced bowing samurai child. - Goblins. - Colorful beetles. - Wife spirit. - Spider. - Multi-headed woman. - Flame. - Skeleton. - Monkeys. - Rabbits. - Frogs. - Ryuu (dragon). - Train. - Dancing flames of white. - Man with reversible face. - Further indiscreet goblins. - Blue goblin. - Snake-like creature with man's face. - Purple spirit. - Camel-faced woman. - Four-legged cyclopic creature. - Mouth-creature. - Two oni. - Seven lucky gods (Benzaiten, Ebisu, Fukurakujo, Hotei, Daikoku). - Blue and flesh-colored goblins. - Walking stone legs. - Animated telephone poles. - Skeleton. - Fire & Firemen. - Tops. - Pill-like structures with eyes. - Flood. - Flying tanuki in flames. - Gashadokuro Skeleton. - Seven lucky gods with goblins. - Amida Nyorai with Bodhisattva attendants.
Shoukichi's father's warning about how humans love to kill and eat tanuki is somewhat justified. There is a soup called "tanuki jiru" which mainly refrains from using actual tanuki meat, but in some regions tanuki meat is used for it.
The scene of the transformed tanuki making her face disappear is a reference to the legend of the "noppera-bou", the woman with no face.