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It has taken almost two years but Friday saw the final release of Studio Ghibli’s latest film Ponyo (former release title: Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea). With Hayao Miyazaki at its helm as both writer and director, coupled with music from Joe Hisaishi, there are many hopes pinned on this film to undo the damage of the critically despised Tales From Earthsea and re-establish Studio Ghibli’s place at the zenith of Japanese animation.
Those who have followed Miyasaki’s career religiously will have been utterly transfixed by offerings such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke but may be missing the sheer child-like delights that were offered in his eighties film My Neighbour Totoro (whose double-billing with the utterly devastating Grave Of The Fireflies was probably the most idiotic pairing since Marmite and salami). If this personal stance of mine sounds familiar then you will be more than pleased to hear that with Ponyo the wide-eyed innocence that Miyazaki does so well is back.
As with all the great Ghibli films the story is incredibly simple, and obviously inspired by the Western fairytale of The Little Mermaid. Ponyo is a small goldfish-like girl who yearns to be free from her conjurer father’s captivity. When she escapes she is found by five year-old boy Sosuke. Upon her recapture by her father she declares that she wants to be human and undergoes a transformation by unleashing her father’s magic into the world and once again runs away to find the boy she has fallen for. However, in doing this she inadvertently causes the forces of nature to become unbalanced culminating with the moon slowly falling out of orbit meaning that her father and mother, the latter a beautiful water deity, need to find her to stop the world from ending.
In an industry where Up and Wall-E reign supreme it is truly great to see that fully hand drawn films are still in production. Not just that either, but possibly some of the most beautiful set pieces that you are likely to see in a cinema this year with every frame being a work of art (especially the water scenes). The characters are fantastically well-rounded with great attention paid to the adults, an example being Risa, Sosuke’s mother, who is an extremely relatable de facto single parent whose husband is always out at sea. This care and attention is something that has been really lost in the majority of non-Pixar animated films of late and as such is a welcome addition.
The only real negative would be the dubbing. Having seen this in both the original Japanese and in English it is fair to say that there is a very different atmosphere present in both versions. If you cannot stand the idea of subtitles then go for the dub as it isn’t too bad, but for the best experience you need to hear the original voice cast in action. This especially applies to the two children where the originals are adorable whereas the youngest members of the Cyrus and Jonas clans are just annoying.
In the Ghibli canon this is by no means one of their best films; there are some such as Princess Mononoke and Whisper of the Heart that would provide a more even introduction. However, Ghibli at their second best is still a clear sight better than most Western offerings and whets the appetite for their next feature The Borrower Arrietty which will be soon released in Japan.
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