Ponyo

[ChargewithSword]

It's Miyazaki's newest film and it's coming out in theaters on my birthday! (Aug 14)

So who else is gonna see this masterpiece, I'm kind of worried because in japan it's mostly been compared to a babies movie.(I hate babies movie, I'd rather movies that are for everyone.)

Might I also point out that this movie is only appearing in 800 theaters so you better check for which theaters are playing it near you.
http://nolomos.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/ponyo-poster1.jpg

[Immortal_One]

Yeah, it does seem like a movie aimed at more of a younger audience, I'm not sure if I want to go see it. Although, the one thing that irks me is that people are more excited about Noah Cyrus being the voice of the main character rather than the fact that it's another one of Miyazaki's masterpieces. Also, I'm not really a big fan of watching movies with voice-overs of people that I already know of, I tend to think of the voice actor more so than the actual character.

I might watch a subbed version of it in Japanese though, I'm not sure.
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[Shadsie]

My fiance and I plan to see it, because we are suckers for Miyazaki.

[ChargewithSword]

Yeah, it does seem like a movie aimed at more of a younger audience, I'm not sure if I want to go see it. Although, the one thing that irks me is that people are more excited about Noah Cyrus being the voice of the main character rather than the fact that it's another one of Miyazaki's masterpieces. Also, I'm not really a big fan of watching movies with voice-overs of people that I already know of, I tend to think of the voice actor more so than the actual character.

I might watch a subbed version of it in Japanese though, I'm not sure.
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You could buy the DVD, since it'll have both the dub and the sub in it. Plus there could be some good extras.

Another thing is that Noah Cyrus and the Jonas dude being in it may be a necessary evil since it could attract new fans to Miyazaki's works. More fans to Miyazaki's works means better things in terms of merchandise and Miyazaki movies so it's necessary evil to keep his work alive here.

[Immortal_One]

You could buy the DVD, since it'll have both the dub and the sub in it. Plus there could be some good extras.

Another thing is that Noah Cyrus and the Jonas dude being in it may be a necessary evil since it could attract new fans to Miyazaki's works. More fans to Miyazaki's works means better things in terms of merchandise and Miyazaki movies so it's necessary evil to keep his work alive here.
Yeah, I might just do that, actually. I know what you mean with a few of the voice actors being necessary evils, and I guess I can accept that. I don't think I'm going to watch that movie in English though :lol:
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[ChargewithSword]

Yeah, I might just do that, actually. I know what you mean with a few of the voice actors being necessary evils, and I guess I can accept that. I don't think I'm going to watch that movie in English though :lol:
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Well when has disney let us down royally with Ghibli dubs? They may not be perfect, but they are bloody good they are.

[Lonewolf92]

I want to go see it, but i prob'ly wont. Me and my mom have been going to see movies like crazy. we have seen like four in the last month, so i bet we wont. but it does look like a GREAT movie!

[KrazyKyuubi]

curiosity killed the cat...:cat: i'll probably see it. i just hope it's not terrible.

[ChargewithSword]

The rotten tomatoes review is up and Ponyo is at 94%. Good job Miyazaki and good job Disney for making a very good dub.

[DisappearingMist]

I would love to see it, but I don't know if it will come to our theater. It's doubtful. I definitely plan on renting it, though. Miyazaki is amazing!

[Evenstevenp]

Great idea, guys. Rehash the Little Mermaid story and make it even more kid friendly than it already is.

Put in the voices of the younger siblings of some teen pop sensations and you're good to go.

[ChargewithSword]

Great idea, guys. Rehash the Little Mermaid story and make it even more kid friendly than it already is.

Put in the voices of the younger siblings of some teen pop sensations and you're good to go.

You... did not make this out to be a Disney movie right?!!! This is a studio Ghibli film made by the great Miyazaki.

Oh and just because their siblings of pop stars doesn't mean they are bad actors. Disney knows how to make people act (or at least John Lassester does.)

[MalonMaverick11]

I am so excited for Ponyo! I love Miyazaki, he is the master of animated movies. I love spirited away, kiki's delivery service, howl's moving castle, and castle in the sky, so i bet Ponyo is gonna be awesome too. i just enjoy the animation so much, it is beautiful.

[ChargewithSword]

Ponyo was a movie that if popular enough in the states, it could aid the return of hand-drawn animation and perhaps rekindle interests in Japanese animation.

Characters- The movie fleshes it's characters very well and each main is given a lot of room to maneuver their personalities in the movie.

Ponyo- She is an innocent little girl/fish with a big dream. She displays this innocence quite well in the movie when she shows her lack of knowledge to human things. Noah Cyrus plays her very well in the movie and acts as ignorant and adorable as possible. Sometimes she wouldn't fit the lip flaps or overreacted somewhat, but overall Ponyo was casted and done well.

Sosuke- He's a little boy who must learn to accept Ponyo's love. Sosuke was a character who I think was kind of bland but he served as a good love interest for Ponyo and aided her character well. Frankie Jonas was very good playing as him and well, actually sounded cute.

Fujimoto- He is Ponyo's father and hates humans. He is a wizard in charge of keeping balance in nature. What cane I say? This guy is a hilarious character and displays his role as loving father very well without showing villain tendancies. Matt Damon is a great actor for this job.

Plot- The plot is pretty much a retelling of the little mermaid but this time, it's not so much about a villain or about the mermaid killing herself in the end. This time, the story focuses on balance or nature in which Magic cannot exist with humans and thus Ponyo causes the whole thing to go out of whack. Now it's up to her and Sosuke to fix it up.
Now I must say that this story is quite mature and innocent and that's what gives the plot such charm that just makes you want to see more of it. Ponyo shall adore you with her charm and ignorance so much that you'll fall in love with this film instantly. Now the plot is very kid friendly so don't be afraid to take your youngin to the movie.

Animation- Art... art at it's core. Miyazaki shows that animation can be done without computers perfectly just by looking at this movie. He did more than 72,000 frames for this movie and frankly, that is impressive. One thing I have to say is that the water even though it's very art like is that it seems to look more like gel rather than water like it should. I love the character designs even though Miyazaki's style doesn't seem to have changed much since his other movies but that's ok. I applaud Miyzaki for showing off that 2D can be done without computers and the job gets done that way. So other companies should look to this film in inspiration to draw with less computers *coughDisneycoughDreamworkscoughcough*

Music- I love the music, it's so vivid and comes to life. One of my favorite pieces of music comes from the storm scene in which a choir sings, because it reminds me of the American Tail score. I loved the intro song because of how vividly it introduces the great art of Ponyo. There is also the ending song which isn't as bad as people make it out to be. Now even though it's not as cute and babyish as the Japanese ending it does give it more of an exciting ending feel to the ending. So I like them both.

Verdict- This film is perfect if you and your family want a good family film to see. Your child won't get bored thanks to the good humor in it and you won't feel as if your intelligence (or your child's) is being made fun of.
**** 1/2

[knowlee]

You... did not make this out to be a Disney movie right?!!! This is a studio Ghibli film made by the great Miyazaki.

Well technically it is a re-telling of the Little Mermaid story, but not necessarily a re-telling of Disney's version of it though.

I want to see this movie. :) I'm a huge fan of Miyazaki films and I want to see this one a lot. I can't wait to see it! :D

[Steve]

The movie looks like it's for a younger audience, but then again this is a work of Miyazaki, and I have never been disappointed with a single one his works, so I'll probably see it nonetheless, even if I have to wait for the DVD release. I still got District 9, that I want to see, plus this film may not even be playing near me anyway.

[ChargewithSword]

Domestic Total as of Aug. 16, 2009: $3,506,000 (Estimate)

Considering Ponyo is only airing in 927 theaters, that ain't bad.

[Brandikins]

I've always liked Miyazaki's films. Spirited Away was odd, but very good in a way. There's just something to his films that make them so good, but I have no idea what it is.

[-JelloGoMoo-]

Ponyo's the sweetest movie. It may not top any other Miyazaki film, but it's amazing. And I went online to see it, just not in english... =\

Japanese or English, it's great. I just gotta try and find a nearby movie theater that has it...

[DisappearingMist]

The movie theatre here had it this weekend for 2 showings, but Caleb and I had to work both times. It was such a bummer. I guess we will have to rent it, but I wanted to see it on the big screen!