What can I say? It’s been a slow news month without counting the big home video announcements. I would like to apologize for that, but there’s not much I can do.
I was going to start posting reviews to all Disney (and Disney/Pixar affiliated) animated movies on Upcoming Pixar starting with The Princess and the Frog this winter, but due to excitement and enjoyment I will begin with Walt Disney Studios’ release of Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.)
I’ll briefly start off by pointing out the Pixar connection, besides the fact that John Lasseter and director Hayao Miyazaki are good friends and that Pixar and Studio Ghibli could almost be sister studios. Like past Ghibli localizations, the English Ponyo dub was directed by Pixarians; in this case John Lasseter, Brad Lewis and Peter Sohn.
The story is about a mystical goldfish named Ponyo who, with the help of her human best friend Sosuke, quests to become human. It’s a tale of friendship, bonds, love and loyalty loosely inspired by The Little Mermaid. As it turns out, the balance of the universe rests on one little sea creature and that’s when the sweet and equally hilarious adventure begins! I’m not going to delve into the plot much more, it’s more complicated than the trailers would have it seem.
The story may come off a bit strange, but the characters are adorable, rich and full of life, a Miyazaki trademark — much like Pixar. The voice talent, full of big name celebrities, was actually not distracting as you’re captivated by the story, animation and personalities. My favorite part about seeing Ponyo on the big screen was enjoying the pristine 2D visuals which have become a rarity in today’s cinema.
So if you find yourself at a megaplex this weekend, do yourself a favor and watch Ponyo (tickets here), especially if you’ve enjoyed Miyazaki’s past works!
Last modified: August 14, 2009
It’s a good film, but not a great one. Saw it first last year with subtitles, and it was much better than the American dub job. The actors feel vacant, and not connected to the characters. Really did some damage to an otherwise good movie.
With no intention to be a jerk, it’s not Sasuke. This isn’t Naruto. He’s Sosuke or Sousuke.
Anyway I saw the movie and I really loved it. It’s a simple story, like My Neighbor Totoro, but it’s really charming and beautiful. It’s also as strange as it is cute. And it’s really cute.
Haha, sorry about that. I’d hate to cause a disturbance in the world of anime. 😛
I don’t know why some people have to complain about it being in english. It seemed fine to me when I went to see it, they didn’t pronounce any names wrong, they stayed on point and the story was beautiful. It was indeed a nice film and in the theater everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. 🙂
Good review. Glad to see someone shine a light on this awesome movie. Definitely better than Howl’s even though it was good. The sense of innocence and wonderment was a plus.
Check out my review here if you want. 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLE_9T2IMuM
didn’t pronounce any names incorrectly? Ponyo is pronounced PONE-YO not pawn-yo…
Well yohoitsjoefosho keep in mind that it’s just a tiny flaw in the English adaptation of this movie. It happens. There are other movies out there that get some names wrong when translating it into other languages. No need to get a little fussy and be a smart alec about it.It’s still a beautiful film despite tiny mistakes such as pronunciation of the names. 😉