Ponyo
from 34 reviews
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Released:07/06/2010
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Studio:Optimum Home Entertainment
Director:Hayao Miyazaki
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Family
Reviews
Hayao Miyazaki is one of those rare directors who can take the magic of nature and childhood, then somehow capture it for the screen.
And his tenth Ghibli movie "Ponyo" is no exception -- it's a reimagined tale of a "little mermaid" who wants to become human so she can be with a little human boy she loves. It's a simple story told in a simple manner (occasionally TOO simple), but it has a lush oceanic beauty and an innocent sweetness that really capture your heart and imagination.
A little boy named Sosuke finds a tiny "goldfish" with a human face on a beach, trapped in a bottle. He names her Ponyo, and goes to great lengths to care for his little fishy friend. But then the sea wizard Fujimoto, Ponyo's overprotective dad, appears and snatches Ponyo back into the sea -- and she decides that she wants to become human so she can be with Sosuke. Having tasted a bit of Sosuke's blood, she sprouts chickenleggy limbs and starts to change, but inadvertently disrupts a magical well that causes the moon to drop, the seas to rise over the land, and prehistoric magic to rise once more.
Sosuke and Ponyo are delighted to be reunited, despite the raging storm that is engulfing the city and causing ships to go missing. While the children go searching for Sosuke's missing mother, Fujimoto struggles to fix the balance of nature before the entire world is destroyed, with the help of Ponyo's sea goddess mother. The only hope of restoring balance lies in Ponyo and Sosuke -- and if Sosuke's love is not true, then Ponyo will be reduced to sea foam.
Compared to Miyazaki's other movies, "Ponyo" is a very simple story -- it's basically a boy-meets-fishgirl story, with lots of children running around being adorable and exquisite looks at the sea. Even its theme is simple -- the story is dependent on on true selfless love and how it knows no boundaries of age, experience or even species. Not to mention parents letting go of their children.
If there's a downside to the story, it's the lack of internal conflict. Example: the "test" that Fujimoto and the sea goddess use for Sosuke... well, it's far less impressive than it seems.
And Miyazaki does not disappoint animationwise -- he conjures a waterworld of luminous sea life, sparkling ships, prehistoric creatures, finned submarines and a town that has been swallowed by the sea (complete with boats floating over the rooftops). It's an exquisite piece of work that turns the ocean into a magical, otherworldly realm where wizards work in coral-encrusted towers and shimmering jellyfish take little mermaids to the surface.
Ponyo herself provides a lot of the movie's charm -- she's effusive, hyperactive, has a babylike fascination with the human world ("HAM!"), and an array of handy magical powers. Sosuke is a likable lad who is fascinated by Ponyo and her world, and Fujimoto makes a enjoyable anti-hero -- spindly, gaunt and with a mane of messy red hair, he's like a rock'n'roll embodiment of parental stress.
The extras are pretty promising on this blu-ray, and they seem to be the same as the regular DVD edition's extras (rather than stiffing or one or the other group of buyers) -- a slew of documentaries and interviews (including with Miyazaki himself), storyboards, explorations of the story's background, et cetera. And most striking is the "World of Ghibli," an interactive creation which apparently allows people to "enter" the worlds of various Miyazaki movies -- "Ponyo's," "Kiki's," "Castle in the Sky's," and so on. And given how luminous and lush the colors are, the movie itself should be spellbinding visually.
"Ponyo" is simpler and more childlike fare than most of Miyazaki's past films, but it's still a sweet and lushly-animated piece of work. At the very least, it will transport you to a magical childhood.
Utterly incredible.
Some of the scenes where Hayao just loosely hand-draws the whole screen, with a few scribbles, are beyond belief.
The "sense of water" is unprecedented - amazing.
This is Art -- in an age with very little Art.
it's difficult to overstate how astonishing this is ... the works of Miyazaki are, really, like the ouvre of Shakespeare for our times.
(BTW, bizarrely the FRENCH version of Ponyo has already been available, in France, for months! It's great!)
Something to consider - simply watch the film IN JAPANESE. It's not that there's anything wrong with the English version, but, the film is so incredibly ... operatic .. like an animation "tone poem" that it's almost better if you are not distracted by ANY language. (It could be a wordless film...the incredible music only)
As you probably know already, this is Miyazaki for the youngest viewers. It is absolutely perfect from age 2 onwards!
I played it literally three (3) times in a row nonstop the first time...from the first frame onwards it is breathtaking. You just sit there with your mouth open.
The scenes that are already famous are breathless, the most amazing animation ever, the greatest expression of joie de vivre certainly in any film output, perhaps in any artform for a century or two. Staggering.
The only question is, can Hayao do ANYTHING, EVER to top this??
Saw this at the Duke of Yorks cinema on a wet half-term Thursday afternoon with my four year-old lad and it blew us both away. A cinema full of kids with them all transfixed by a film is a
rare thing to see.
This cartoon animation blows away its Pixar rivals in terms of sheer imagination, and is a total delight to see.
It made me realise why i go to the cinema in the first place, I will order it on DVD asap.
Miyazaki is always good value and 'Ponyo' is full of heart, innocence and wonder. This Blu-ray and DVD set completely does the film justice, with lovely box art, Ponyo transfers and great features. The images look magical in crisp HD.
That said, if you're new to Miyazaki and are not sure whether to buy 'Ponyo', I would suggest checking out 'My Neighbour Totoro' on DVD first. It's probably the best animation of all time.
This is a superb heart warming movie for all the family - its a steal at the asking price as you get the special features as well as a dvd version and a bluray version of the same movie in one package.
Fantastic visuals and sound - a brilliant anime.
