Ponyo on the cliffs by the sea
MOTW
Ponyo
Ponyo (or, it's full literal Japanese title - Ponyo on the cliffs by the sea) is the latest movie from Studio Ghibli and writer/director Hayao Miyazaki. He's been the man behind such brilliant anime fare such as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbour Totori, Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, Nausicaa of the valley of the winds, Grave of the Fireflies, and several more. In recent years his films have been getting a lot more mainstream attention, so much so that Disney has distributed several dubbed versions for international release. Ponyo is the latest of these.
And yet, it's only screening in two cinemas in Adelaide - Marion at Tea Tree Plaza - and only daytime sessions. I know it's a film for little kids, but you'd figure that there'd be an adult audience who are Anime/Ghibli fans that would see it at Palace during the evening, wouldn't you?
So on my amazingly free weekend, I popped into Marion today to see it.
Wow.
As usual, Miyazaki has made a film that is visually stunning, with incredibly beautiful scenery and creatures. The hand drawn cell animation is flawless and looks like a moving watercolour painting for much of the film. This film is aimed at kids under 8, so it's light on the plot and high on the cuteness. But it can be emotional at times - although it's usually a joyful emotion rather than fear or sadness. Quick plot recap: Sosuke is a 5 year old boy who lives with his mother in a house on top of some cliffs near the sea. His father is a ship captain and rarely home. His mother works in the nursing home in the nearby town, and they are all good friends with the locals and residents of the nursing home. One morning, Sosuke finds a goldfish with a human-like face stuck in a jar, so he saves the fish, and keeps it in a bucket and names her Ponyo. However, Ponyo is actually the daughter of the sea goddess and a formerly human wizard who is charged with keeping the sea in balance. Once her father retrieves Ponyo, she has learned to talk and desired to be human - and being magical, she wills herself to grow hands and feet and in the process of escaping manages to cause the sea to rise into a huge storm that threatens the town and all the ships near this busy port.
One of the unusual aspects of this - and other Miyazaki movies - is that it is pure adventure, and there is no "bad guy" as a lot of American movies seem to need. Ponyo's father, the wizard, is a little bit of an antagonist but he's not an evil character, he only wants what's best for Ponyo and all the other sea creatures under his care.
If you like Anime, and enjoyed films such as Spirited Away, then Ponyo is definitely up to calibre with Miyazaki's previous works. I wasn't quite as awestruck as I was with Spirited Away, but I was still absorbed in the beauty and joy of this film.
9/10
Ponyo
Ponyo (or, it's full literal Japanese title - Ponyo on the cliffs by the sea) is the latest movie from Studio Ghibli and writer/director Hayao Miyazaki. He's been the man behind such brilliant anime fare such as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbour Totori, Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, Nausicaa of the valley of the winds, Grave of the Fireflies, and several more. In recent years his films have been getting a lot more mainstream attention, so much so that Disney has distributed several dubbed versions for international release. Ponyo is the latest of these.
And yet, it's only screening in two cinemas in Adelaide - Marion at Tea Tree Plaza - and only daytime sessions. I know it's a film for little kids, but you'd figure that there'd be an adult audience who are Anime/Ghibli fans that would see it at Palace during the evening, wouldn't you?
So on my amazingly free weekend, I popped into Marion today to see it.
Wow.
As usual, Miyazaki has made a film that is visually stunning, with incredibly beautiful scenery and creatures. The hand drawn cell animation is flawless and looks like a moving watercolour painting for much of the film. This film is aimed at kids under 8, so it's light on the plot and high on the cuteness. But it can be emotional at times - although it's usually a joyful emotion rather than fear or sadness. Quick plot recap: Sosuke is a 5 year old boy who lives with his mother in a house on top of some cliffs near the sea. His father is a ship captain and rarely home. His mother works in the nursing home in the nearby town, and they are all good friends with the locals and residents of the nursing home. One morning, Sosuke finds a goldfish with a human-like face stuck in a jar, so he saves the fish, and keeps it in a bucket and names her Ponyo. However, Ponyo is actually the daughter of the sea goddess and a formerly human wizard who is charged with keeping the sea in balance. Once her father retrieves Ponyo, she has learned to talk and desired to be human - and being magical, she wills herself to grow hands and feet and in the process of escaping manages to cause the sea to rise into a huge storm that threatens the town and all the ships near this busy port.
One of the unusual aspects of this - and other Miyazaki movies - is that it is pure adventure, and there is no "bad guy" as a lot of American movies seem to need. Ponyo's father, the wizard, is a little bit of an antagonist but he's not an evil character, he only wants what's best for Ponyo and all the other sea creatures under his care.
If you like Anime, and enjoyed films such as Spirited Away, then Ponyo is definitely up to calibre with Miyazaki's previous works. I wasn't quite as awestruck as I was with Spirited Away, but I was still absorbed in the beauty and joy of this film.
9/10