We here at ItsAllTrue love toys, probably to an unhealthy extent sometimes, but that’s not all we love. So, in an attempt to stretch our discussions more in lieu of the spirit of this website’s name, I’m going to step in for an ailing Mr. Rant and do a movie review today.
Over the weekend, jealousy of NoisyDvL’s DCUC 5 pack drove me, literally, to head down to Arkansas to find my own. Although I was lucky enough to find two, neither of them were worth buying since both Luthors were scarred with marks on their heads, each in a different place, but still very visible. Empty handed, I wandered the local mall, searching for some other prize to make my trip worth it. Lo and behold, I discovered their theater was showing Ponyo.
In Japan, there is a wonderful animation company named Studio Ghibli. They’ve made some of my favorite animated movies like Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, and The Cat Returns. They are basically the Disney of Japan. Disney, recognizing Studio Ghibli’s popularity, bought the rights to translate and distribute Ghibli’s movies worldwide. Now, on the surface this is a good thing. Before Disney became involved, most of what Studio Ghibli did was relegated to the Japanese audiences only and a few bootlegs that made their way around the way bootlegs do. Since Disney has become involved, Ghibli’s movies are beginning to find a worldwide audience. The negative side to this is that Disney does not feel the Studio Ghibli films warrant a mass release in the United States. So instead of a mass release, like one of Disney’s own films would receive, Ghibli films are only given limited runs with very little advertising to let people know they are out and around. I think they could perform better if given the chance, but I digress…
Mrs. Vault and I were truly excited to discover that the mall theater we were at was playing this movie, and immediately bought tickets for the next show. Over the next hour and a half (or so) we were entertained by another superb movie from Studio Ghibli.
Without spoiling anything but the basics, the story is about a young boy, Sosuke, and his meeting with a magical sea creature, Ponyo. After Sosuke rescues Ponyo, and cares for her briefly, she is returned to the world of the ocean where her father wishes to keep her. Ponyo decides against this, wanting to become human instead. Adventure ensues.
You wouldn’t be wrong in thinking this sounds similar to a certain Disney mermaid. The basic idea is very similar, but Ponyo lacks the sinister and somewhat morbid overtones of that story. Instead, it explores the world in the eyes of children, where the most menacing things are simple unknowns, like what may be at the end of a dark tunnel. The theme of childhood and simplicity is also reflected in the background colorings of the entire film. Where not every straight line has to truly be straight, and the entire thing looks to be painted in color pencil or even crayon sometimes, and somehow they are able to pull it off without making it look cheap or messy.
One other thing that never fails to amaze me with Studio Ghibli’s creations is the ability they have to capture the tiny mundane details of real life and incorporate them in an interesting way. From simply watching a rainstorm in My Neighbor Totoro, to Ponyo’s portrayal of fish as they wander around the screen doing their own thing, or the tiny crab eating specks of plankton as they come close. All of this happens on screen in the background, out of the spotlight, while the main characters go about their story.
When we entered the theater, there were enough children, and adults, to make plenty of noise. Ten minutes into the movie, even the squirmy kids were paying attention quietly. This is the power of Ghibli’s films. It has the same affect on my nieces, and very little calms them down also. These films animate amazing creatures, people, and places that no western company has come close to. When confronted with something so different yet amazing, there’s nothing left to do but sit in silence and enjoy the new world they are exposing you to.
I really want to see it. I love their movies and this one just has a playful quality, from what I’ve seen.
I saw this movie twice already and I’m planning to see it again. Your review is very good, and you caught onto the details that this film has, which is not seen in other films. There is another thing about this animation, when you watch the cars turning or even Sosuke running down the hill, you’ll notice that it really feels like it could have been CGI. During the Disney panel at Comic-Con, we were informed that this was entirely hand drawn. This is a lot of work for the animators and they did it perfectly. I wish that Disney would release this studio’s films to an even wider audience, because I truly believe they will inspire our own future animators rather than the cookie cutter crap we get here.
I agree.
And Studio Ghibli is awesome when it comes to hand drawn animation. They rarely like to use computer. Resorting to it for only the most difficult things like those worms in Princess Mononoke.
man, i’d love to catch this in the theater, but most likely, i’ll end up having to wait for the DVD… but like most ghibli films, this is defintiely an “owner.” i love their films, so does my whole family. and yes, the craftsmanship is EPIC for ghibli films. nobody does animation like this… it’s like finding a restaurant that does all their own baking too.
that’s a really good comparison
It’s not my favorite Ghibli film, but it was still really, really good. I loved the animation, even just the waves and the sea in the background and foregrounds. It was pretty cool. ^-^
You’re wrong about Disney though! Ponyo was in like a 1000 theatres and was no. 9 in the box office when it opened!! That’s awesome! They were behind this one. John Lasseter produced it, Miyazaki was at SDCC promoting it too.
I don’t know what makes a release “mass”, but I think if it were any bigger, Ponyo would flop so hard it would kill any future Ghibli stuff coming over so I’m super-happy and I hope all the Ghibli stuff gets at least this much support from now on! ^-^