Studio Ghibli Once Again Conjures Magic With Ponyo.
I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, since one of the joys of seeing a Miyazaki film is being Spirited Away to an unpredictable world which is both strange and familiar. In brief though, the story of Ponyo revolves around a human-faced Goldfish who is the daughter of Fujimoto, an undersea magician. Throughout the movie, she meets a boy, falls in love with him, and nearly causes the destruction of the world as a result.
Plot-wise, Ponyo is very different from Miyazaki’s most recent films in that it has no real antagonist. In fact, Ponyo herself causes all of the conflict through her actions, despite being motivated by love. Just don’t expect it to be Howl’s Moving Castle or Princess Mononoke, which were more focused upon the hero’s triumph over adversity.
Although possibly less “flashy” than any other animated fare gracing screens this summer, Ponyo is nothing less than beautiful. One cannot deny the deft artistry and hard work involved here. In an age where there are dozens of CG animation studios flooding theaters with the technological achievement of the week, it is incredibly refreshing to witness the warm, “human” quality that only hand-drawn 2D animation can capture.
Ponyo is a fantastic film for all ages. Although the theater which I saw it in was filled with small children, there was none of the crying and restlessness which usually accompanies the last half. Despite its shortcomings in the plot department, I felt that the entire audience was completely mesmerized by Miyazaki's vision.
And really, what more can you ask from animation than that?
As one of the modern masters of animation, Hayao Miyazaki has brought amazing worlds to life though such films as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and most recently Howl’s Moving Castle. His films are best known for their ability to capture the essence of childhood and create subtle yet fantastic worlds that rival the best Hollywood has to offer.
Proclaimed as his final directorial effort with Studio Ghibli, Ponyo is strongly reminiscent of Miyazaki’s past works. Like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, it transports us to a strange world which borders on the one we know. With the title character, Miyazaki has created yet again a strong female lead which we immediately sympathize with. In tone, the film is most similar to My Neighbor Totoro which was also told from a child’s point of view and seeks to capture the feelings associated with youth's innocence.
However, despite all of its beauty and charm, the film does manage to lose a great deal of its momentum in its third act due to the plot unexpectedly evaporating. It is not that this is a bad choice per se so much as it is an unexpected one. All of the tension which has been continually building just disappears, only to be followed by a swift resolution. As a result, the viewer is left with one of those “Really, that’s it?” feelings.
Proclaimed as his final directorial effort with Studio Ghibli, Ponyo is strongly reminiscent of Miyazaki’s past works. Like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, it transports us to a strange world which borders on the one we know. With the title character, Miyazaki has created yet again a strong female lead which we immediately sympathize with. In tone, the film is most similar to My Neighbor Totoro which was also told from a child’s point of view and seeks to capture the feelings associated with youth's innocence.
However, despite all of its beauty and charm, the film does manage to lose a great deal of its momentum in its third act due to the plot unexpectedly evaporating. It is not that this is a bad choice per se so much as it is an unexpected one. All of the tension which has been continually building just disappears, only to be followed by a swift resolution. As a result, the viewer is left with one of those “Really, that’s it?” feelings.
I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, since one of the joys of seeing a Miyazaki film is being Spirited Away to an unpredictable world which is both strange and familiar. In brief though, the story of Ponyo revolves around a human-faced Goldfish who is the daughter of Fujimoto, an undersea magician. Throughout the movie, she meets a boy, falls in love with him, and nearly causes the destruction of the world as a result.
Plot-wise, Ponyo is very different from Miyazaki’s most recent films in that it has no real antagonist. In fact, Ponyo herself causes all of the conflict through her actions, despite being motivated by love. Just don’t expect it to be Howl’s Moving Castle or Princess Mononoke, which were more focused upon the hero’s triumph over adversity.
Although possibly less “flashy” than any other animated fare gracing screens this summer, Ponyo is nothing less than beautiful. One cannot deny the deft artistry and hard work involved here. In an age where there are dozens of CG animation studios flooding theaters with the technological achievement of the week, it is incredibly refreshing to witness the warm, “human” quality that only hand-drawn 2D animation can capture.
Ponyo is a fantastic film for all ages. Although the theater which I saw it in was filled with small children, there was none of the crying and restlessness which usually accompanies the last half. Despite its shortcomings in the plot department, I felt that the entire audience was completely mesmerized by Miyazaki's vision.
And really, what more can you ask from animation than that?
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