This week a DVD came out that I’ve been waiting on for years. It’s the latest from animation master Hayao Miyazaki and his company Studio Ghibli: “Ponyo,” with American distribution by Disney.
“Ponyo” is Miyazaki’s take on the fairytale of “The Little Mermaid.” But it’s better that you put any assumptions or knowledge that you have of the story aside in order to watch the film, which puts its own very unique, and at times bizarre, spin on the story.
Ponyo is the eldest daughter of sea wizard Fujimoto and the ethereal spirit of the sea. While in her natural goldfish shape Ponyo encounters five-year-old human Sosuke, and the two form a fast bond.
Ponyo defies her father and becomes a human (as a fellow five-year-old, though she seemed of comparable age as a goldfish) in order to live on land with Sosuke. The two children must weather the ferocious storm and subsequent flooding of the town that occur as a result of the imbalance in nature caused by Ponyo’s transformation.
The animation in the film is, as always with Ghibli’s work, absolutely gorgeous. The characters are admirable as well; Ponyo and Sosuke are absolutely adorable, and Sosuke’s mother Lisa is refreshingly normal.
She drives recklessly and stomps around the house when her ship captain husband must spend yet another night at sea. But she is also a dedicated, loving mother. In other words, she’s one of the most realistically well-rounded, human parents I’ve seen in a children’s film.
What gives me pause about Ponyo – at least when it comes to recommending it to the Ghibli uninitiated – is that this is one of Miyazaki’s stranger films. Many of the fantasy animation sequences get a bit strange, with the ocean forming huge walls and supposedly prehistoric creatures (I’ve never seen the like) swimming through the flooded town.
Also slightly worrying, at least for parents showing this movie to younger children (which seems its intended audience, Miyazaki devotees like me notwithstanding), is the relationship between Ponyo’s parents. They don’t spend much time together; in fact, Fujimoto is almost beside himself with devoted anticipation at the thought of seeing Ponyo’s mother again. The exact arrangement between them is unclear.
Ponyo’s mother is never directly named nor what she is, exactly, explained. I assumed she was the sea itself in some sort of spirit form, and that her role as the sea is what keeps her from her family. From the standpoint of a fantasy film it’s better that the movie never quite explains what she is, but when viewed as a family film, the story suffers when the relationship between Ponyo’s parents isn’t elucidated.
So here’s my recommendation: “Ponyo” is sweet, full of heart, and contains, not surprisingly, some of the most beautiful hand-drawn animation I’ve seen. However, it makes few concessions to an audience unfamiliar with Miyazaki’s work.
If you’ve never seen a Miyazaki film before, I urge you to do so. But I’d start with something else. If you’ve younger children, watch Miyazaki’s masterpiece “My Neighbor Totoro.” Preteens should try “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” The sweeping fantasy of “Spirited Away” or “Castle in the Sky” will appeal to any audience.
For those familiar with Ghibli, I have nothing but praise and recommendation for Ponyo. It slots in well with Miyazaki’s library of work, while still standing on its own feet.
And this DVD release isn’t shabby either: it contains the most extras of a Disney-released Ghibli film yet (though I scowled when Disney’s famous blue castle logo appeared before the film, as if the House of Mouse had anything to do with the creation of this movie).
They include behind-the-scenes of the film’s creation in Japan, interviews with Miyazaki, beautiful storyboards, and a neat feature that reveals Ghibli’s other projects on a 3D map. Clicking around reveals sneak peeks of other films. Ponyo is available on amazon.com or at your local video store.
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