Cool News
Hayao Miyazaki has a new movie out called PONYO, and Capone says the world should see it!!!
Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
And then there are those times when you just have to not only trust me, but also trust what you know. For example, when you hear someone tell you that there's a new film coming out from master animation director Hayao Miyazaki, you know that one of the things you will set aside time to do in the near future is go see it. If that isn't your natural instinct, then there's something wrong with the way you live your life, simple as that.
At the age of 68, Miyasaki-san is still cranking out hand-drawn storyboards for every one of his movies; there was a time not so long ago when he was personally responsible for animating huge sections of his own movies (rather than simply turning his storyboards over to his team of animators). But just as important as the process he uses is the end results, which have been a series of the most visually and thematically creative works the animation world has ever known: NAUSICAA, CASTLE IN THE SKY, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, PORCO ROSSO, PRINCESS MONONOKE, SPIRITED AWAY, HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE. The man doesn't work fast, but when he puts out a new film, you need to just stop and see it.
His latest work is PONYO, a films certainly aimed at a much younger audience, about the friendship formed between a young goldfish girl (voiced by Noah Lindsey Cyrus) and a human boy named Sosuke (Frankie Jonas) who lives with his parents (Tina Fey and Matt Damon). When the goldfish is stranded on the shore, Sosuke rescues her, names her Ponyo, and promises to look out for her forever. Ponyo's very human-looking father Fujimoto (Liam Neeson) is feverishly looking for his daughter (we find out her real name is Brünnhilde) and sets about unleashing the power of the seas to find her. Ponyo has decided that she wants to transform into a human and fall in love with Sosuke. You see, sometimes you just have to go with it and not think about things too much. It all makes perfect sense when you're sitting there watching it.
There are elements to this film that will have your jaw on the floor, the tsunami sequence being the primary example. Miyasaki envisions the tremendous waves not as water but as giant fish all clamoring to get wherever they're going as fast as possible. It's one of those classic "you have to see it to believe it" moments. It's a spectacularly realized moment in a film filled with so many such scenes. Miyasaki might be the only director who can find the beauty in a small town being completely swallowed by flooding. Watching the ocean's largest sea creatures swim down the city streets is pretty cool, I'll admit. He also somehow manages to make a retirement home seem like the ultimate place to hang out, which is exactly what Sosuke does as he's talking to elderly women voiced by the likes of Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin and Betty White.
The film continues on as Ponyo helps Sosuke look for his missing mother and the elderly women, all of whom disappeared during the flooding. Oh, and the moon is dangerously close to the earth, causing even more flooding, so that has to be set right as well with the help of Ponyo's sea goddess mother (Cate Blanchett). And for about 100 of the greatest minutes you're going to have this year, you're going to enter a world in which imagination is the most valuable commodity, and that's a far less frequent occurrence than you might realize. PONYO is quite simply a reason to celebrate. From the hand-drawn animation to the use of color to the fine voice cast (directed for the English-language version by head of Disney Animation John Lasseter), Ponyo is perfection. But that should come as no surprise to those who have been watching and loving Miyasaki's work for decades. PONYO is getting the widest release that one of Miyasaki's films has ever gotten in the United States, so you really don't have any excuse not to check it out.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com
Follow Me On Twitter
-
+ Expand All
-
Gotya.
-
WAYYY too over-rated? In these talk-backs, I guess so.
-
I can't wait to see this. I've been gorging on Miyazaki movies for the past several weeks. The man is a genius.
-
the first time I saw it as Finding Nemo
what's with the orphaned sea creatures movies? -
Amen.
-
And very excited about it. Kudos to Disney for putting this out on more screens.
-
i love Miyazaki, especially Totoro, Castle In The Sky and Spirited Away. I own all those available. My anticipation is through the roof for Ponyo, built on waiting a year since the Japanese release.
-
did not care for Howl's.. seemed too chaotic and silly, but loved spirited away, naussica, princess mononoke, trailers haven't grabbed me on this one, but will see it. just very cautiously..
-
Or as meandering as Howl's Moving Castle? Enquiring minds want to know!
-
Very much aimed at a younger audience than most Ghibli films sice Totorro, but that is absolutely irrelevant as it is still a work of pure joy. Miyazaki has no peer - really none! - when it comes to expressing the purity of his imagination onto the screen. Beautiful sights and characterisation (and more lovely Joe Hisashi music) throughout the whole film. You can not overrate Miyazaki. He's films are just too glorious.
-
the removal of CGI effects and the return to pretty much all hand drawn animation is more than welcome.
-
No, I'm in a similar boat. I think Miyazaki is rather hit-and-miss; there are times when his stuff is utterly amazing (Mononoke Hime and Laputa: Castle in the Sky come to mind), and there are times when his works are pretty and intriguing, but fail to make sense--much like Spirited Away.
-
his spirited away movie,made even our assholes film critics here in greece,to admit that japanimation is something more than just sunday morning kiddie cartoons.
-
Although Howl's Moving Castle got a bit boring... Can't wait to see this one.
-
Things are pretty crazy at the moment, so I'm not sure if I'm if/when I'm going to put together the thorough AICN Anime piece on Ponyo it deserves, but a few thoughts.
It's enthrallingly magical. For the most of the movie, I felt that I was watching a new classic animated fable, along the lines of the great, time-honored Disney works.
It's ecological sentiment are unassailable.
Then it gets to its final gate, and I start feeling a bit ambivalent about it.
Ponyo is apparently informed by Hayao Miyazaki's relationship with his son Goro the way that Totoro is informed by Hayao Miyazaki's relationship with his own mother. Which is to say that it is on the periphery of the story, but significant. Like the human child's father in Totoro, Hayao Miyazaki was often away, working.
I don't know if I agree with Miyazaki on parenthood, or if it's an appropriate topic for him. A lot of what says about children is not in line with a lot of modern thinking, and I believe the reaction would be quite different if the statement were not wrapped an anime work that is so magical, and at the same time, naturalistic.
-
Aug 14, 2009 9:34:59 AM CDT
This will enthrall some, but there are going to be the 'too cool
by kamaji
You just know some are going to look at it and say it's 'too babyish.' The kind of people in high school that felt cartoons were kids stuff. After I saw the sneak of Ponyo, I was amazed at the amount of charm and innocence in it. I saw a bit of E.T. in terms of the friendship between Ponyo and Sosuke, plus the fact that Sosuke is a rather docile, caring little boy instead of a loudmouth little jerk like that annoying brother in 'The Jungle Book 2.' Even Ponyo wasn't as annoying as that kid!
-
I don't believe that Miyazaki was inspired to change course and react to a major event like he was in Howl's. So, Ponyo doesn't "meander" in the same way. The governing factor in Ponyo is that it follows 5 years olds. Many people will find Miyazaki's look at adolescent themes in works like Spirited Away to be more involving, but Ponyo is still captivating.
-
Too many quiet moments where the film "breathes" that simply put me to sleep. The one moment he had like that in Cagliostro where Lupin sat by the lake and there was this slow panning shot where all you could hear was the birds and you had no idea what lied beneath it was a huge hint and brilliant. BUT, the pacing on his recent stuff just seems so frigging ponderous, not to mention it's like shit can't you just do one more fucking brilliant Lupin movie that I could survive off for the next 20 years? Something with a more action-oriented pace AND brilliant visuals and leave the quirky fairy tales in the kids bedroom JUST ONCE?
-
As far as his more kiddie-aimed stuff, My Neighbor Totoro does a lot more for me. The visuals are still sublime though - check out my review if you'd like at http://tinyurl.com/m4o485 (once again, I apologize for such shameless self promotion ...)
-
Fuck that. I'd rather not see a movie at all than watch it dubbed. Especially by a bunch of "name" actors whose every utterance sucks the Japanese out of the movie and replaces it with celebrity brand-recognition. If I had kids, they would be old enough to read before I introduced them to Miyazaki. Lucky for me, I did get my hands on a subtitled version, and enjoyed it thoroughly, despite the fact that it's one of his lesser works.
-
..who cares? You should be applauding these people for attaching themselves to quality work rather than cranking out yet-more Hollywood bullshit. Many of the actor/actresses who do the dubs for these flicks are fans of Miyazaki's work, how are you gonna gig them for that? Better an actual actor of some kind than hiring some lame ass to crank it out like they do in video games. Subtitling is a bullshit issue taken up by anal purists who want to seem more anime-than-thou, if you can't speak the language what are you missing out on by having it dubbed over?
-
Can't find any info online yet, but usually the El Capitan in Hollywood, CA USA shows both Dubbed and Subbed, but amazingly they have neither! Guess I'll wait for the DVD.
-
Please explain it to me,what exactly is gained by hearing dialogue you don't understand while trying to read translation on the bottom of the screen and keep track of visuals on top? Really, I need to understand why it's so important to you purists.
-
It’s about purity of vision. The director picked who he/she wanted for their voice cast, and even if you can’t understand the language, you can still feel their acting, the emotions, the way they deliver their lines, etc.As far as watching and reading at the same time, it’s something you get good at over time, and soon you don't even know that you are doing it. Admittedly it’s tough on wordier movies, but if there’s a lot of quiet moments or action, it doesn’t matter really. If you don’t like Subtitles, to each his/her own. But do you really want to hear siblings of The Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus babbling away?
-
"more anime-than-thou"? Actually, I don't care for anime in general (other than Miyazaki's work and some of the less typical examples of the genre) , but I do like good movies, animated or otherwise, and I like them exactly the way the director intended them to be, with the original performances -- overseen by that director -- intact. Dubbing changes the whole tone of the movie, regardless of how good a job the actors do or the degree of their love for the material and its creator. There's a whole sense of culture behind tone-of-voice and delivery that just does not translate from one language to another. What you get is a different movie, and I don't want it. I was, and am -- to this day -- a huge Phil Hartman fan, but his performance as the cat in Kiki's Delivery service is mind-bogglingly wrong to my ears, and completely unlike the original performance, just as an example. That's not just translation, that's re-interpretation, and it has nothing to do with the creative decisions that went into the original production. If you're not sensitive to that, bully for you, but your implication of pretense leveled at a person who simply doesn't want to settle for something that you find acceptable is cheap and petty. You counter my opinion of dubbing by expressing your opinion of me. How clever is that, considering we know nothing of one another?
-
Yes, there are a lot of "name" American actors, but for the most part they've delivered fine vocal performances. The Japanese audio track will be on the eventual DVD, so quit bitching. What five-year-old will stand to readinf subtitles? Dubbing brings Miyazaki's work to a much wider audience than would normally watch them, and that's a good thing. Besides, even in the original Japanese, the mouth movements rarely match the dialogue.
-
Yeah dude, I sort generalized there while at the same time referencing your post and that wasn't my intent. I still feel there are those that act more "anime than thou" over the dub issue, if you're not one of them bully for you because I know these people, went to school with these people, can swing a dead cat at any comic con within 100 yards of the anime room and hit one of these people. Don't be disingenuous, you know the type I'm talking about and it can be a trumped up, bullshit issue. As Nasty said, how are you gonna take a kid to this movie and get them to read subtitles? Anime geeks ALSO quite often forget that most cartoons are made for kids, not full grown adult men who are 'purists'.
-
...I feel like I am watching a slideshow. A really COOL slideshow, but a slideshow nonetheless. Is the animation that crappy, jerky, anime style? Or is it more fluid? I have never seen one of these films and left thinking that the animation was anything more than absolute crap. Is the feeling that there are frames missing supposed to be part of the "style" or is there something wrong with my eyes?
-
Yes, you are. And you're a tool.
-
I'm sure he has spoken about this before but Totoro and Spirited Away were basically (to me) homages to Alice in Wonderland. I loved both movies so I'm not complaining here.
I have not loved all of his movies though,but the ones I did, were truly unmemorable...
Ponyo looks cute as hell....the girl fish looks just like Mei from Totoro .... I will probably see it ....
Oh and speaking of Dubs, I'm not biased in any way here but I saw a movie dubbed in Spanish and it was actually better than the original version which I hated.
Weird huh? Can't explain it ! After all it was the same movie ! Maybe it was the voice of the American child actor I hated....A truly strange experience ! -
Here I go typing way too fast....
I meant memorable....and not unmemorable....yoinks!! -
Good summary - and you also understood what I meant by meandering (rather than thinking it as a specifically negative term). You're right...Miyazaki's vision of 'Castle' changed over time due to huge events on the outside...and while a good film, it's incredibly fluid and wanders from plot point to plot point. I love it but some were understandably confused by a perceived 'aloofness' whereas Spirited Away was incredibly intimate. Thanks for a good discussion!
-
Cute movie. I probably liked it better than Spirited Away and Howls, which were both good... not as much as Princess Monoke, Totoro, Nausicaa, or the other, earlier stuff.
Very much geared to a younger audience, although still very watchable by an adult. And the voices are fine. Disney has always done right by Ghibli's films. Those of you complaining about Cyrus' little sister or whatever... do you have any real reason to think they're BAD? Remember, it was Lassiter himeself directing the voice actors. Don't kneejerk hate from a position of ignorance. -
Like an year ago! I watched it at the Venice Film Festival last year, USA is not the centre of the world, you know...
-
The ONLY Miyazaki film I've seen that I actually thought, 'wow, this is pretty good' was "My Neighbor Totoro", which was based off a recommendation from a Korean (born and raised in Korea) friend. She actually said, "Miyazaki is overrated, but Totoro is good stuff." and she was right. I watched Princess Mononoke, which had cool parts and good music (Kodamas) but was ultimately a boring/nonsensical plot & Howls was even worse. So I'm gonna say that Miyazaki is obviously not the god you proclaim him to be. I'll try and watch Spirited Away at some point. Maybe I haven't given dude a chance. But from the stuff I've seen, he's definitely overrated. With that said, my bro said a Japanese girl he knows says that alot of Miyazaki's stuff has very Japanese folklore/culture in it that isn't known to many Westerners, hence Miyazaki is really most understood by Japanese. Take that as you will.
-
Don't count him out until you've seen his single greatest work Castle of Cagliostro, also the single greatest Lupin III movie and frankly one of the best films ever made animated or no. Really, no hype, this movie is absolutely perfect, I've seen it like a hundred times.
-
If you don't think Disney didn't have any influence in getting Lassiter to pick Miley Cyrus' sister and the non-rock star Jonas Brothers, two of their biggest cash cows right now, you are delusional. In other words, if the Miley and Jonas Bros. franchises did not exist, and Lassiter had a huge casting call and those two kids were in it, I doubt they would have been picked.
-
maybe... maybe not... but don't judge it on just seeing 1 or 2 movies of his movies, most of them are a lot different from each other.
-
he makes his films for the japanese, not international audiences...therefore, they are filled with japanese myths and history, which is why you might find the storylines boring and confusing but the animation is beyond excellenti would not recommend ponyo to those without children the original japanese version is online, and the story is simplistic and a bit strange, and was definitely made for miyazki's grandkids...right down to the theme song, sung by one of them the animation is still beautiful, except for the faces of the goldfish/mermaids...looks like one of his grandkids designed it i think its pretty cool that miyazki makes movies the marvel way except for howl's he never starts with a script...just a story idea, and then lets the animation created the script for him...its brilliant, and it works
-
This movie was Simple,sweet and subtle.. I can't imagine what Sosuke will do to Ponyo when he turns 13... He's going to sex her up so hard that her twat will turned into a new portal that takes him into a new world of talking sea urchins and mermaids...
-
And Totoro his best work??? It's like I live on some other planet... I guess those who hate Miyazaki's other films but like Totoro the best probbably just like simpler films... I liked Totoro, but I'd rank in pretty low on my list. Princess Mononoke on the other hand is beyond brilliant if you ask me! Same with Spirited Away! Howl's was kind of disjointed by the second half towards the end and apparently that's because Miyazaki came into the project much later when the original director quit or something... And I don't see how anyone can call the animation in Ghibli films crappy... What the flying fuck??? I suppose most western folks are used to Disney's method of overanimating everything, which is all well and good... the theory being to make every frame of animation a work of motion therby making it more interesting to look at. The Japanese on the other hand prefer an aesthetic of stillness and subtlty, creating poetry with moving scenery and iconicly framed images, and where human characters movements are more realistic, imitating film. I prefer the Japanese way of doing it, but I also love the Disney way. Just because they don't do it the way you prefer it does not make it crap. And I'm referring to the actual big budget well animated Japanese films/shows by good studios and by revered directors, not most of the cottage industry TV stuff that is animated poorly...
-
But you're missing the fact that the kids' voice acting was GOOD. Casting Liam Neeson as the fish's father was more of a crass stunt casting than the kids' casting was. Or Tina Fey as the mother. And none of those is as bad as ANY DREAMWORKS FILM EVER.
(Not that Liam's bad, per se... but his voice wasn't a fit for the character. And, at this point, overexposed. If they were having 'open casting calls', no way would he have gotten it.)
Besides, the same stunt casting goes on with the Japanese originals. You don't think they cast voice actors based on ephemeral passing popularity? -
I'm not a huge fan of Japanese animation. I love Akira, Spirited Awy, Princess Mononke & Kiki's Delivery Service. I took my kids to see POnyo and while I think they enjoyed it, I was bored to tears. Granted, I'm not the target audience (41 year old male) but I go to a lot of kids movies and I've seen some fabulous stuff. I really wanted to like Ponyo but I couldn't wait for it to end.
On the other hand, I'm going to see District 9 in a few hours... -
This movie makes me want to laugh my fucking ass off with these so-called internet critics recommending it. Next they will be saying what a great flick, "Julie & Julia" is...haha. Fucking pussies.
-
also a fuggin' great piece of work IMHO.
-
Aug 16, 2009 12:47:52 AM CDT
Johnno, your point about Miyazaki's 'simple' movies...
by sirbiatchreturns
is somewhat true. There's no doubt that Totoro is simpler than say, Mononoke, but sometimes simpler is better. Actually, I prefer my movies to be complex plotwise and thematically. BUT I don't like ideas that run all over the place. Totoro felt like a cohesive film - Mononoke, not so much. It boils down to cohesion. Simple or complex. I'll give Miyazaki another go before I make up my mind.
-
Saw some of the artwork and cells at the Ghibli Museum.. Any Miyazaki fans should definitely check out that museum if you are in Tokyo... it's wonderful... I want to see this in theaters but not if it is dubbed..
-
except that their "mermaid" isn't a hot lil redhead with the body of an 80s television star.
-
Aug 16, 2009 7:33:44 PM CDT
Bouncy X- You forgot the faggoty showtune numbers as well...
by samuraiyao
I love the little mermaid, and ponyo is a completely different type of film than "The Little Mermaid." The fishes don't even look the same for godsake, so don't be comparing the two...
-
Not up there with Spirited Away, but many times better than Howl's Moving Castle. Miyazaki knows how to portray magic with mood, movement and music just about as well as Walt. A very emotional film as well; I almost teared up a bit. Highly recommended.
-
I'm sorry, but I get that this is a great movie, but it's a great movie for 5 year olds. Everything about this film was made for 5 year olds. The art style, the dialog, everything was made to appeal to a little child with a 30 second attention span. I tried to finish the film but I just couldn't take it. But I'm sure that the little kids loved it. I did like the bit with the mother and father fighting using signaling. That was funny.
-
Does anyone know for certain if there are any screenings of Ponyo in the Los Angeles and Orange County, CA area that are in Japanese language with english subtitles? I have been looking everywhere online and in the newspapers and trades and cannot find any screenings. I really cannot stand english dubbed foreign films, especially when it is a Miyazaki film. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
-
Its wonderful on the big screen. Having an ocean seting allows for Miyazaki to fill the corners of the screen many times with little treats, things moving and bobbing in and out. The film definitely skews younger than most other Miyazaki films, younger even thn Totoro, I think. But its charming all the same. My major crticism is of the film's so-called plot resolution. There just didn't seem to be any stake in the "choice" the boy has to make. But whatever. Go see it in the theatre, bring some kids. Have fun. It looks grat on a big screen. The voice actors are all teriffic, with one exception: Liam Neeson. He's fine, but his voice is just wrong for that character. It took me out of the picture when he spoke. But his is a fairly minor character and not well dveloped, so it didn't matter that much. Its the visuals and the weird, off-kilter way that Miyazaki connects events that make his films great, this one included. Go see it already, you've got nothing to lose. It'll be gone quick, so hurry up if you want to see the big screen version. Also, for those that have seen it: I love that angry baby. Funny stuff. I also love "Chicken Feet Ponyo". You know what I mean.
-
What? Miyazaki movies are the ANTHIHESIS of today's typical ADD kid's movies. Ponyo was a film full of quiet moments of introspection, it was hardly a non-stop gag-fest. Wonderful movie, one of the year's best.
-
it was good. kids here in Tokyo loved it. its out on DVD here already.
-
man oh man . . . just picked up the the subbed import from cine-east.com and can hardly wait to watch it again! it's crazy how long this film has been available despite its recent release in the US. besides, i'd recommend Original Language any day. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/lwksz4
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 439 total posts 159 posts
- WTF HOLLYWOOD: SOLARBABIES -- 144 total posts 142 posts
- Herc’s Seen Tonight’s Return Of THE WALKING DEAD!! Discuss Also DOWNTON ABBEY, FEAR FACTOR, PAN AM, ONCE, SIMPSONS, DYNAMITE, LUCK, SHAMELESS, BAIT CAR, THE GRAMMYS And More!! Sunday Is Sweeps Day 11!! -- 155 total posts 140 posts
- Avid Comic Reader Hercules Does Battle With Tedium During Kevin Smith’s COMIC BOOK MEN! -- 55 total posts 45 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 196 total posts 45 posts
- I am The Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day! No, I’m the Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day! -- 35 total posts 35 posts
- If the Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day drops her pen, pick it up, but don’t look at her legs or else it will be on your record. -- 60 total posts 34 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 127 total posts 32 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 513 total posts 29 posts
- The Sensorties Revisit The Friday Docback (And Still Smell)!! DOCTOR WHO Story #7 Again, The Coming Of Season/Series 7, And More!! -- 118 total posts 27 posts