Quick Comments on Ponyo on the Cliff

[ClosetOtaku]

Finally saw Gake no Ue no Ponyo, English dub, today in the local theater.

It is vintage Miyazaki (female protagonist, magical elements, environmental commentary), though the animation itself lacks the depth and richness of Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke. Nevertheless, Miyazaki ventures into a slice-of-real-life backdrop that, I think, makes this film more approachable than many of his previous offerings.

I hope it does respectably at the Box Office. I would not rate it as his best film, but I was not disappointed in it like I was Howl's Moving Castle. I think the movie achieves its goals nicely, and it was enjoyable to watch.

[KagayakiWashi]

I loved the movie. It was probably my fourth favorite Miyzaki film (after "The Cat Returns", "Castle in the Sky", and "Kiki's Delivery Service").
The animation may not have been what some of the others were, but it was nice. And a great, and I mean GREAT film score by Joe Hisaishi. I also loved the voice acting, which is good, because I watch all my anime subbed.....though after seeing the vocal talents on some of the other films' credits, I really outta give the dubs a spin. I would highly suggest seeing the movie if you've like previous Miyazaki films.

I've been corrected that "The Cat Returns" is not a Miyazaki film, thus making Ponyo my third favorite Miyazaki film.

[Radical Dreamer]

I really, really want to see this. XD I read an article about it today and it looks fantastic. On the voice acting, Liam Neeson and Cate Blanchet? Yes, plz.

[minakichan]

As for its fate in the box office, http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... -on-friday

On its opening day it's made just under 10 times the amount of money as previous Miyazaki films. I don't think anyone doesn't believe it's due to Disney's more aggressive marketing and the Jonas-Cyrus effect, and not anything inherent about the film itself...

[chibiphonebooth]

ahhhh i loved this movie! it was soooo adorable. there was something just so child-like and innocent about it. I thought i would hate the voice acting, but actually the two stupid people they picked really fit in and did a pretty good job. I really enjoyed the story and the animation. :]

I would not rate it as his best film, but I was not disappointed in it like I was Howl's Moving Castle.

whaaaaaaaaaat? howl's moving castle is one of my favorites that he has done!!

[ClosetOtaku]

whaaaaaaaaaat? howl's moving castle is one of my favorites that he has done!!

Howl's was more a rambling wreck of good intentions lost in a slow and meandering plot and -- just when you thought the movie might be trying to say something about war and humanity --it came to a sudden, silly, and unsatisfying end. A movie where its reach certainly did not exceed its grasp.

Ponyo achieves its vision, as did Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke before them.

[ShiroiHikari]

Howl's was more a rambling wreck of good intentions lost in a slow and meandering plot and -- just when you thought the movie might be trying to say something about war and humanity --it came to a sudden, silly, and unsatisfying end. A movie where its reach certainly did not exceed its grasp.

I happen to agree with you. The book, however, is good stuff.

[JapanAni]

I personally thought that this was a good movie but not his best. Maybe I'm bias towards his older movies. It's really nice to see a Miyazaki film in my local theaters.

[Blitzkrieg1701]

I saw Ponyo its second day in theaters, but only now have the time to actually pound out any thoughts on it. It’s not Miyazaki’s best, but I still thought Ponyo was extremely enjoyable. The decision to create the entire film through “old school” animation was very clever, since it gives the whole thing the bright, simple look of a children’s book. The characters are all quite likable, and as always, the Ghibli animators infuse them with plenty of personality. And let’s face it, I don’t think there’s a single filmmaker on the planet who’s better at capturing the innocent, freewheeling world of a kid better than Hayao Miyazaki.

I do have a few issues with Ponyo, though. It seems like the movie can’t make up its mind on where the plot’s actually going for a while. There’s a lot of focus on Ponyo’s Dad and Sosuke’s parents in the first half, only to drop all that follow the kids through a modern fairy tale in the second half. Focusing on the kids is definitely the right choice from a storytelling angle (the film probably would have turned into a VERY heavy handed environmentalist fable if Ponyo’s Dad had stayed as prominent as he seems to be in the first half) but I wish they’d just gone with that from the beginning rather than shifting tones so much.

Also, while I really admire Ponyo’s “classic” animation style, it kind of works against the film in the later scenes. A LOT of this film is basically Sosuke and Ponyo roaming around looking at all the cool stuff around them, but after the cutting-edge dreamscapes of Spirited Away, Ponyo’s fantastic sights just don’t seem quite as fantastic as they ought to. Don’t get me wrong, it still works. It’s just not as astounding as other recent Ghibli works.

A thought about the dub, while I’m at it: Does anyone else think the kids did a much better job than the grown ups? It’s a topsy turvy world where I think a Cyrus and a Jonas gave the best performances in something, but I found the more “respected” members of the cast to be kind of disappointing (Liam Neeson in particular was surprisingly unconvincing)

Finally, I just want to mention that ClosetOtaku’s totally right about Howl’s Moving Castle. Just throwin' that out there.

[GhostontheNet]

As for its fate in the box office, http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... -on-friday

On its opening day it's made just under 10 times the amount of money as previous Miyazaki films. I don't think anyone doesn't believe it's due to Disney's more aggressive marketing and the Jonas-Cyrus effect, and not anything inherent about the film itself...

Your double negative makes it difficult to understand precisely what "anyone" believes or does not believe. To be sure, however, the fact that Disney is finally putting some real clout into theatrical distribution of Miyazaki's films is probably a major factor in increased capital gains. No longer confined to some obscure theater a long drive away, people can actually watch Ponyo at their neighborhood theater, and this gives the film a greater advantage.

Howl's was more a rambling wreck of good intentions lost in a slow and meandering plot and -- just when you thought the movie might be trying to say something about war and humanity --it came to a sudden, silly, and unsatisfying end. A movie where its reach certainly did not exceed its grasp.

Well, certainly if you take the war as the central theme, then the plot's resolution is rather abrupt. However, the characterization and thematic elements of the film indicate at length that the central theme is the search for beauty, which unfolds against the backdrop of the war. In that event, an ending in which the beauty of all participants in need is restored by love is well-suited to the narrative. Looking at it from this perspective, the plot structure makes perfect sense.

[CrimsonRyu17]

Well, certainly if you take the war as the central theme, then the plot's resolution is rather abrupt. However, the characterization and thematic elements of the film indicate at length that the central theme is the search for beauty, which unfolds against the backdrop of the war. In that event, an ending in which the beauty of all participants in need is restored by love is well-suited to the narrative. Looking at it from this perspective, the plot structure makes perfect sense.

This is what I saw in Howl's myself, though I could never put it into the right words, and it is my favorite Miyazaki film. Thaaank you.

[Kerri]

: will not be within 200 miles of a theater showing Ponyo:

vv() I guess it's a good thing... It doesn't sound promising...

[Makachop^^128]

I want to see it so bad but its not at the theaters in my town

[ashfire]

I have found that most of the theaters in the Wash. DC area showing Ponyo are the stadium seating theaters. There are in Virginia three of them within a few miles of each other that are showing the movie.
Where I live in Maryland. One in my county a hour away and others further out from where I live. In a year or so there will be a stadium seating theater a few miles from where I live.
I went to one of theaters in VA to see it today because it is closer to where I live. The movie was enjoyable and at times funny.
My guess is that Ponyo will be out in DVD close to Christmas.

[steenajack]

I loved this movie....AAAAAAALLLLLLLLOOOOOOTTTTTTT!!! XD It was so cute and sweet, not to mention incredibly clean like most of Miyazaki's movies. The reason why the art is the way it is is because it was completely hand-drawn. If you look at it from this perspective, Miyazaki is really good at animation. HE BRINGS OUT THE ART IN ANIME. I guess it's obvious that I'm a total Miyazaki fan. XD