|
Ponyo (also known as Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea) is the latest film by the creative minds at Studio Ghibli which promises a magical, endearing journey. When playing by the shore one day, Sosuke
finds a fish trapped in a glass jar. Deciding to help it, he breaks the glass
apart and takes the fish to his home to make sure it’s alright. Everything
seems normal, that is until the fish licks the blood from Sosuke's thumb, which
he cut from breaking open the bottle, which begins a change in the fish, which
Sosuke has decided to name Ponyo. |
|
When Sosuke takes Ponyo to his school, he finds himself in trouble when he has to hide Ponyo, who decides to spray water at anyone she doesn’t seem to like. And its just as Sosuke discovers that Ponyo can talk, that she is suddenly snatched away by her father, Fujimoto. Fujimoto himself lives in the ocean, angry at the humans for polluting the sea, so when he discovers that his daughter has tasted human |
|
|
blood; he attempts to seal her away, in
order to stop he becoming more human. With a little help, Ponyo escapes,
releasing a power magic at the same time that finally turns her into a young
human girl. And with this power, she decides to go back to find Sosuke as
quickly as she can. But with Ponyo's power now causing
devastating effects to the earth, her mother decides to give Sosuke a test. And
if he can do it, not only will he save the world, but Ponyo will get to live as
a human forever, so long as he can prove he cares for her. |
|
|
Ponyo is a bit of an odd movie for me. It feels similar, yet different at the same time. Throughout the film, you cant help but see similarities to other films, especially Disney's The Little Mermaid with their stories of a girl becoming human in order to be with a guy they fall in love with, while their father does what they can to stop her. I could also feel some familiarity to other Studio Ghibli titles; the innocent friendships of My Neighbour Totoro for one. |
|
But its Sosuke and Ponyo themselves that really make the film. Seeing the world through their innocent eyes gives the film a very child-like feel, especially in Ponyo's case, as she has to get used to all the human things she is getting to experience. These two character have both been created really well, and their voice actors also did a great job to help bring them to life. Speaking of voices, the English dub for this film has been done exceptionally well; the characters all sound real and full of emotion. Plus the film itself has that usual Ghibli flair; everything looks amazing and is full of bright colours. Personally, I think this movie would be great to see on Blu-Ray when it is released on disc. While everything looks great, and sounds
great, there were a few times when the movie did slow down. While this isn't so
bad, the film itself definitely felt like it had been made for a young
audience. There was very little to scare someone, and little to no violence.
The film is very gentle throughout its runtime, and while it may be something
kids to watch, the older generations interests may not be held for the entire
movie.
None. Feature:
|
