Ponyo

[Lazy Boy]

http://incontention.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/ponyo.jpg

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle)

Written by Hayao Miyazaki

Genre: Animated

Plot: An animated adventure centered on a 5-year-old boy and his relationship with a goldfish princess who longs to become human.

http://www.disneydreaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Ponyo-2.png

Vocal cast: Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Frankie Jonas, Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, Betty White

Rated G.

Runtime: 100 minutes

Even though I'm not in the audience this is aiming for, I still think Miyazaki is one of the best animators around, and it's a treat to see his stuff on the big screen.

[ilovemovies]

I'm so NOT a fan of anime. There is just something about that style of animation that turns me off completely.

That said, this one actually doesn't look tood bad and it has a surprisingly excellent cast. But I will say there were times when the trailer reminded me too much of Finding Nemo.

I may see it in theaters or online. Or I may wait for dvd. It'll depend on whether I can afford to see it or not.

[Smarmy Douche]

I saw an import of this a couple months ago. It's a nice film. Perfect for kids. The story's not exactly doing anything fresh, but it's cute. The animation is stellar. I can't vouch for the English cast, though.

[dfd3657]

OH SHIT. I totally thought this would be limited release, just like every other fucking anime that comes out in theaters. BUT IT'S NOT. I love Miyazaki, so it looks like I'll be seeing this and District 9 this weekend.

[LordSimen]

Can't wait to see this. Always loved Miyazaki's work. Although I wish he'd do somethin' darker in style again, like Princess Mononoke, I can live with these more child-like fantasies he's been doin' lately. :D

[Cosimo]

it's good but not great like monoke, spirited away and my neighbour totoro

the beginning i really enjoyed

[SpikeDurden]

I'm a huge fun of Miyazki's work and I love the relationship he has recently developed with John Lasseter. I'm thrilled that this will be the 2nd Miyazaki film I'll be seeing on the big screen (the first was Spirited Away), although I will admit I wish it was subbed and not dubbed. Still, the voice cast is excellent and I know that Lasseter's team will have done a near perfect job with the dub.

So this is the 2nd nominee for best animated film this year after Up. What's the third? Or are we getting 5 nominees again this year? I'd say 9, Coraline, and A Christmas Carol have to duke it out for the 3rd spot, although they would be wise just to go with 5 nominees.

[Lazy Boy]

7/10

Like Smarmy said, it's definitely a cute flick. If you're using a comparison, think My Neighbor Totoro. The animation is gorgeous, as always -- in spite of all the CGI flicks in distribution, my heart still moves at the sight of a little girl running along the backsides of giant fish during a storm. Remember the book Life of Pi? There's a passage where Pi looks under the raft, through the water, and sees a vast highway of underwater denizens, multicolored and multifaceted. It's an amazing description that also fits Miyazaki's talents in bringing the aqua world to life. It's no wonder John Lasseter is inspired by Studio Ghibli -- they focus on silent pauses to give weight to ultimate decisions.

I've described the animation and the cutesy factor (mostly in Ponyo's little sisters), but it doesn't feel like much other than that. Yes, there's the old "love conquers all" aspect that feels kinda expected now in every Miyazaki anime (it kinda felt shoehorned into the finale of Spirited Away), and the movie ends. Don't expect anything deep, just a nice little story. But, what you should take away from it is the animation. Gorgeous.

The dub job: solid, never distracting (but why do the lead girl characters always seem to scream in high pitch? First, Chihiro in Spirited, now Ponyo, thanks to Noah Cyrus), but I thought Matt Damon's line readings about the gravitational pull of the moon were a little weak. Tina Fey was my favorite.

[someguy]

It's a cute movie but I got the feeling that they had to rush the final act since it had such an anticlimactic resolution followed by a really abrupt ending.

[Darth Kenshin]

very good movie, but definitely more childish than Miyazaki's more recent films. Even Spirited Away had more mature themes and subtleties for adults. I still enjoyed this, though. Allegedly, this is Miyazaki's last full-length film. I hope that's not the case.

[InvaderZim]

The more i think about it the more i loved it.

9/10

Miyazaki is the best there is in animation.. and that includes Pixar.. No one is better than Miyazaki

Oh.. and im not an Anime nut.. i just love his movies and Ponyo really delivers.. Its aimed more towards the kiddies than his more recent works but lovers of my Neighbor Totoro will love it.

[Spice]

I saw the film a while ago in the cinema and although I am not a huge fan of anime I thought it was really great. Certainly not his best, but certainly his brightest, the animation is incredible. Another snippet of info, the place he went for inspiration, where he did his sketches and made plans for the film is just up the road from me, a place called Tomonoura. Picture of where Miyazaki stayed below :)
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8905/p5190320.jpg

[nisa]

Definitely Studio Ghibli's most kiddyish film, but really, what's wrong with that? It's cute, has a sweet story, looks fantastic. I think it shows Miyazaki's scope that he can make a film that is so targeted towards kids (though some scenes I'm not so sure) and still have hordes of adults go see it and enjoy it. Most similar in tone to Totoro I guess, which is one of my top 3 Ghibli films, so I'm not complaining. And to segue to future projects, can't wait for the next one -- Taketori Monogatari aka The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter! (FYI one of Japan's oldest stories, about a farmer who finds a little girl when he cuts into a glowing bamboo tree one night, and she turns out to be a princess from the moon -- I can see the awesome animation already...)