Disney launched its return to traditional animation with an advertising fanfare costing the GNP of a small country when The Princess and the Frog was released last week. But Studio Ghibli won’t require space on the side of a bus for this enchanting, eco-tinged animasterpiece.
With a more linear narrative than director Hayao Miyazaki usually orchestrates (Howl’s Moving Castle erred on the wrong side of incoherent bonkers), Ponyo is the Little Mermaid-esque fable of our titular goldfish (although a head on a squid would be a more fitting description), a sea dwelling princess who longs to be human after befriending five-year-old Sosuke. So far so fairytale. The only problem is that our girl with gills is the daughter of an easily irked sea wizard, Fujimoto, and her use of his magical power has caused an imbalance between the worlds above and below the surface.
Contemporary hand-drawn animation has never looked as painstakingly gorgeous as when rendered through the tools of Ghibli animators. There are sequences here that can match anything in animation history. Take the flame-haired Fujimoto conducting an underwater performance that’s as beautiful as anything achieved in Fantasia. Or there’s the terrifyingly chaotic majesty of the tsunami sequence, which features huge waves that have taken the form of aquatic beasts, rising and falling in dramatic fashion.
At its heart is a very simple story though, a recognisable one that isn’t as layered as Miyazaki’s previous efforts. It’s a dreamer’s tale that charms and intrigues without ever really having much of a central conflict until the ethereal finale.
That does leave plenty of time for the obvious environmental messages that permeate the core of all Ghibli efforts. Think the man vs nature theme of Princess Mononoke and Grave of Fireflies. Here you have jellyfish misplaced in treetops and pods of whales using the submerged roads. It’s as if nature is playing by the rules that we force upon them, so why can’t we reciprocate? There is real invention within a stark, relevant message.
The inventiveness doesn’t stop at the visuals – the characterisations are also wonderful. Ponyo is undeniably cute, but it’s the human family that really stand out as different. Sosuke is a headstrong little chap and his mother is a beer drinking single parent who is prone to reckless driving. When was the last time an animated family was this dysfunctional outside of The Simpsons?
Seeing it in its original language means that a critique of the voiceover work provided by Matt Damon, Tina Fey and Cate Blanchett (among others) is unavailable, but going on previous experience there is always something more magical in seeing a Miyazaki movie with English subtitles. And that’s what this is, truly magical.
[etRating value=“ 4”]
With a more linear narrative than director Hayao Miyazaki usually orchestrates (Howl’s Moving Castle erred on the wrong side of incoherent bonkers), Ponyo is the Little Mermaid-esque fable of our titular goldfish (although a head on a squid would be a more fitting description), a sea dwelling princess who longs to be human after befriending five-year-old Sosuke. So far so fairytale. The only problem is that our girl with gills is the daughter of an easily irked sea wizard, Fujimoto, and her use of his magical power has caused an imbalance between the worlds above and below the surface.
Contemporary hand-drawn animation has never looked as painstakingly gorgeous as when rendered through the tools of Ghibli animators. There are sequences here that can match anything in animation history. Take the flame-haired Fujimoto conducting an underwater performance that’s as beautiful as anything achieved in Fantasia. Or there’s the terrifyingly chaotic majesty of the tsunami sequence, which features huge waves that have taken the form of aquatic beasts, rising and falling in dramatic fashion.
At its heart is a very simple story though, a recognisable one that isn’t as layered as Miyazaki’s previous efforts. It’s a dreamer’s tale that charms and intrigues without ever really having much of a central conflict until the ethereal finale.
That does leave plenty of time for the obvious environmental messages that permeate the core of all Ghibli efforts. Think the man vs nature theme of Princess Mononoke and Grave of Fireflies. Here you have jellyfish misplaced in treetops and pods of whales using the submerged roads. It’s as if nature is playing by the rules that we force upon them, so why can’t we reciprocate? There is real invention within a stark, relevant message.
The inventiveness doesn’t stop at the visuals – the characterisations are also wonderful. Ponyo is undeniably cute, but it’s the human family that really stand out as different. Sosuke is a headstrong little chap and his mother is a beer drinking single parent who is prone to reckless driving. When was the last time an animated family was this dysfunctional outside of The Simpsons?
Seeing it in its original language means that a critique of the voiceover work provided by Matt Damon, Tina Fey and Cate Blanchett (among others) is unavailable, but going on previous experience there is always something more magical in seeing a Miyazaki movie with English subtitles. And that’s what this is, truly magical.
[etRating value=“ 4”]
