Ponyo

Story 7.5/10 – The story is a little odd and hard to explain, but I’ll do my best! Ponyo is a goldfish who lives in the sea, and has an over-protective magician for a father. Soon Ponyo runs away from home and is rescued by a five-year-old boy named Sosuke. As she wants nothing more than to understand what it’s like to be a human being, Ponyo uses magic to transform into a human girl, and the two begin to form a special bond. However, this magic results in drastic consequences, and one final test stands in Ponyo’s way before she can truly be human. Can Ponyo fulfill her dream, or is she destined to return to the sea. Got it? It’s a fully on classic feel that Miyazaki films always achieve. They contain a moral, fantasy based idea into the real world. Such as in this, the humans are destroying the oceans, therefore do something about it or some goldfish with a face will come and do…… stuff!

Animation 9/10 - It’s fresh, it’s smooth, it’s beautiful. The only problem I had is there were times when the show’s frame rates dropped and looked very laggy. The times where it wasn’t were absolutely stunning. The show was very cute and family oriented due to the way Miyazaki’s team portrayed the backgrounds and the characters facial expressions. It seems odd that being one of his latest films, would contain little to no 3D generated effects. Perhaps technology is not in favor because he feels that animation literally means pencil and paper. This is just a guess, but I can see where Miyazaki is coming from. This way does feel more natural and in place than having a obviously computer generated car moving across a background that isn’t 3D draws attention away from everything  else too much.

Characters 10/10 – This show has little to very few number of characters. Out of the few I found the mother of Sosuke to be the most entertaining and sadly, the most humorous. Ponyo of course was the main attraction, was very cute, innocent and inspiring, but wasn’t my favorite. It seemed the behaviors matched what would happen in real life according to their age and living standards. The mother’s reactions felt the most real at times, the most ridiculous. Such as

Sosuke: Mom Ponyo WAS a goldfish

Mother : Oh…..? Who’s Hungry?

Which I know is a very abnormal response for the situation, but at the same time had that motherly answer to it.

Overall 8.5/10 – I’ve seen almost all of Miyazaki’s films. They all have some sort of moral quality to his films. Don’t judge people, don’t pollute, be courteous to others etc. Ponyo is no different and perhaps the reason why it’s so good. Since Miyazaki’s fims are so popular and successful, why change the movie? Make more of the same. It’s okay because it’s creative. Every movie of his has a beautifully creative fantasy world or concept that everyone can jump right into. While this isn’t my favorite film that he has made, it’s not as bad as I was once  told. Most of my friends disliked the movie more so than any other Miyazaki film to date. It is true that this movie is more childish and less oriented towards adults,  but it’s definitely a family film. You could say it is an anime version of a Disney movie. In the end I would say, go see it for yourself. The ending was a little abrupt and disappointing, but it’s not enough of a reason to back away from something so very….unique.