As excited as I was about Miyazaki’s latest movie when it was first announced, I let it conjure in the back of my mind only vaguely knowing it had a goldfish like character adorable though it was. Anything by Miyazaki already has a pedestal in my book. No theaters by me was showing it for the US release sadly. By the time I got impatient enough to find a download of it online I was already pre-ordering the double-disk DVD on Amazon.
The more I learned and saw of Ponyo online the more eager I was to finally see this movie. A movie by Miyazaki inspired by Han Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid? That’s a win win situation! This wallpaper was on my desktop at work for months and I still like to use it on occasion. So after much waiting I received it on it’s release date and have since watched it twice, once with family and once with friends and now I can officially spaz over Ponyo.
This movie is beautiful and adorable! You cannot watch Ponyo and “not” feel happy in the eyes of these five year old characters and this charming port town and the magic of the sea. I found it odd that I heard people commented over the over-simple animation of Ponyo but I find it everything but in the effect. The animation of the ocean is stunning and the lack of detail of lighting and depth helps show the stunning creatures of the ocean that it all feels alive. I will quote from this article as I love how the movie is described though I do not agree with everything he says.
“The beginning of the film is inspired – utterly silent for nearly 30 minutes as the wonder of a lush undersea paradise unfolds before the viewer. Here especially but elsewhere in the film as well the warm and fuzzy feeling of hand-drawn animation is demonstrated to the fullest, and the screen looks like a living, breathing storybook. From clouds of jellyfish to monstrous fish forms to miniature character fish in dresses that look like 1920s Disney characters with black eyes and squeak like Mickey Mouse, the classic Western “The Little Mermaid” animation simply pales by visual comparison.”
I think I will cry when there are no more new Miyazaki movies, but I cherish each one and Ponyo is no different. The world’s he creates make me long to jump into them and live there. I love that Ponyo was traditionally created. I don’t think it’s an art form that should ever die and no 3d or action-packed movie can ever take its place. Some have complained that Ponyo is too simple of a story. In the behind the scenes, Miyazaki himself says he wanted to make a movie the five-year-olds stemming up around him could watch and enjoy that wasn’t Totoro. I think he did transcend audience groups and created a movie a five year old to a 85 year old could watch. Many of us are children at heart and I think this movie caters to that. Forget life, sit down and enjoy the experience!
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