Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki, 2008)

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Michael Kerpan · #1 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 3:06 am

Mark Schilling delivers pretty much a rave review for Miyazaki's new "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea"

Now one just has to tap one's feet waiting for the Japanese DVD to finally come out.

Cde. · #2 Post by **Cde.** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:15 pm

This looks very beautiful. It seems like a hybrid of the more aggressively bizarre feel of his recent films and the elegant simplicity of his earlier work (especially Totoro).

Looking forward to it.

jojo · #3 Post by **jojo** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 2:30 am

I've been wanting Miyazaki to go back to his smaller scale, human relations oriented films. I've felt that his last few films tended to aim more for spectacle and thematic concerns over human observations. I'm eager to see if he can still do it like it's still 1989.

Antoine Doinel · #4 Post by **Antoine Doinel** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 4:59 pm

NY Mag has some more info, footage and stills.

noelbotevera · #5 Post by **noelbotevera** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 2:57 am

Wonderful news about Miyazaki, but when is Takahata coming out with something new? Epic or intimate, I think Takahata's never lost sight of the human element...

Sanjuro · #6 Post by **Sanjuro** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 3:44 am

I think Takahata retired didn't he? He's a few years older than Miyazaki (who seems to have been trying to retire for the past 10 years or so).

Shame there still seems to be no-one at Ghibli good enough to step into the masters' shoes when Miyazaki finally does retire. I guess some people will disagree but I don't think The Cat Returns and Gedo Senki were on the same level as the Takahata / Miyazaki movies.

Mind you, I did like Mimi o Sumaseba a lot. I'd love to have seen what else Yoshifumi Kondo would have come up with had he not died.

Cde. · #7 Post by **Cde.** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 6:46 am

Takahata is currently working on a new film.

noelbotevera · #8 Post by **noelbotevera** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 7:01 am

Not a big fan of Pixar, but they do have some depth in their lineup. You can say their work will be consistent for the next ten years or so...

Sanjuro · #9 Post by **Sanjuro** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 8:57 am

Cde. wrote:Takahata is currently working on a new film.

Great news! Or another sign that Ghibli really don't have more great genius' hidden in the depths of their studio?

Ah well. I'll enjoy the films while I can. Then get old and lament about the good ol' days whenever Ghibli release a new one.

jojo · #10 Post by **jojo** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 3:52 pm

One of the Ghibli's main problems is that they're looking to groom guys to REPLACE Miyazaki and Takahata when they retire, instead of looking to develop guys with their own vision. Kondo was basically groomed as the next Miyazaki, give or take a few differences in style.

While The Cat Returns was a fairly generic piece of fluff by theatrical animation standards, it was still a refreshingly different look and feel for Ghibli, a company that tends to put a lot of stock in nostalgia.

Another guy who has done some work with Ghibli is Tomomi Mochizuki, who directed the Ghibli-Made-For-TV-movie Ocean Waves/I Can Hear the Sea. I think he's left Ghibli now, but he had a solid understanding of how to handle and pace an animated film (which is key, since most anime directors are more suited for TV series) and he has at least 1 anime film under his resume that is arguably truly great--Kimagure Orange Road: I Want to Return to that Day.

Ghibli also short shrifts their young staff, I think. Lower budgets, crappier scripts, access only to Ghibli's "b" staff instead of their "a" staff. It's nice for Miyazaki and Takahata because they are gods at that studio so they get the biggest budgets, most worked over scripts, and access to the "a" staff while their "b" and "c" staff do cleanup work. Heck, you could even speculate that Whisper of the Heart was as good as it was because Miyazaki was almost acting as "assistant director" which of course still means that he's probably still calling most of the shots since everyone at Ghibli is literally shaking in their boots when talking to him (I mean it, you should see some of those "behind the scenes" Ghibli meetings that show Miyazaki berating the staff and nobody having the guts to talk back!)

I think Ghibli may end up having to look outside their company, but the problem right now is that most of the "good" anime directors out there are so far out in the maverick realm that they just wouldn't fit Ghibli's more mainstream-appeal sensibilities.

Steven H · #11 Post by **Steven H** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 4:52 pm

As far as I'm concerned, the real Ghibli heir, Hosoda Mamoru, isn't even from Ghibli. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was outstanding.

Cde. · #12 Post by **Cde.** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 2:22 am

jojo wrote:I think Ghibli may end up having to look outside their company, but the problem right now is that most of the "good" anime directors out there are so far out in the maverick realm that they just wouldn't fit Ghibli's more mainstream-appeal sensibilities.

Exactly. As far as I'm concerned, the best new anime director is Masaki Yuaasa, whose Mind Game is the best anime feature in years and who also has a few great TV series up his sleeve (one still airing, Kaiba).

Steven H wrote:As far as I'm concerned, the real Ghibli heir, Hosoda Mamoru, isn't even from Ghibli. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was outstanding.

Eh, I don't know. I loved the opening two acts and thought it had a lot of charm, but the big revelation and sci-fi cliches at the end sort of killed it for me.

Am I the only one who didn't love it overall?

Michael Kerpan · #13 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 2:42 am

I think Takahata has been much more committed to creating new animation directors -- but that Miyazaki tends to muck the situation up. Miyazaki interferes -- where Takahata was willing to nurture and advise. Thus, promising younger directors eventually run away (or get dumped like Hosoda).

The ending of Girl Who Leapt is a bit weak narratively -- but not any lamer than its live-action predecessor. Obviously the ending must have been a weak poin in the original fantasy story (not yet translated into English, so far as I know).

Steven H · #14 Post by **Steven H** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:01 am

Cde. wrote:
Steven H wrote:As far as I'm concerned, the real Ghibli heir, Hosoda Mamoru, isn't even from Ghibli. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was outstanding.
Eh, I don't know. I loved the opening two acts and thought it had a lot of charm, but the big revelation and sci-fi cliches at the end sort of killed it for me.

Am I the only one who didn't love it overall?

The clunky explanation at the end wasn't the highlight, but I enjoyed so much more about it that it made up for it. I was also taking into account that its really early in the guy's career. I can imagine Takahata and Miyazaki wishing they could've made something that precise and genuinely alive at that point in their careers.

Michael Kerpan · #15 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:05 am

Hosoda is young -- but not THAT young. Both Takahata and Miyazaki had done some impressive work by the time they were in their late 30s. ;~}

Sanjuro · #16 Post by **Sanjuro** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 5:56 am

I haven't seen the Girl who Leapt Through Time anime remake so I don't know how different it is but I caught the original recently during Nihon Eiga Senmon Channel's 24-hour 80s trash day (or 24-hour Best 10 Kadokawa Movies day, much the same thing). The ending struck me as rather silly (and more than a little creepy).

Fortunately I didn't have time to think about that as all the characters suddenly faced the camera and broke out into a vomit-inducing song.

Michael Kerpan · #17 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 12:20 pm

The animated version's ending is no more logical -- but considerably less annoying. And the whole film has an air of (intelligent) sweetness that seems lacking in the original live-action film.

Nothing · #18 Post by **Nothing** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:21 pm

Takahata is a sentimentalist. This new Miyazaki sounds great

Banana #3 · #19 Post by **Banana #3** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 6:48 pm

New trailer.

Cde. · #20 Post by **Cde.** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:17 am

This is going to be fantastic. I can feel it.

Sanjuro · #21 Post by **Sanjuro** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:31 pm

Just got back from the late show of this having very much enjoyed it. A step back to the simple days of Totoro and Kiki, with a story that focusses on the children and lets the adults worry about the serious stuff off screen.

Especially liked Miyazaki's trademark of sympathetic adults who actually listen to their kids.
"Mum, this is Ponyo, she was a fish"
"Well, there ya go, what a strange world."

The only thing that was missing was an instantly memorable Joe Hisaishi theme tune. Although he made up for it with a song in the end credits that refuses to leave my head.

manicsounds · #22 Post by **manicsounds** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:30 pm

THAT was what I expected from a Miyazaki film. There was childlike charm, exological concerns, magic, and wonder. I certainly had a lot of fun during the film. There really wasnt a technological push with this film, and could have easily been mistaken as being made between Totoro and Kiki.

I'm certainly willing to see it again. It makes up for the horrendously bad "Tales from Earthsea", which certainly should have not been made by Goro, but thats for another thread.

Antoine Doinel · #23 Post by **Antoine Doinel** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 10:28 pm

The film will hit US screens on August 14th.

ehimle · #24 Post by **ehimle** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 11:26 pm

First film this year i'll be excited for! Then where the wild things are! This could be a great year for children's movies...

oh i guess coraline came out this year too... make this the second movie I'm excited for.

Michael Kerpan · #25 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 12:09 am

I was massively disappointed by this -- and my kids were not all that enthused either. It was almost as naive-seeming as Panda kopanda (and even borrowed some motifs from the sequel, Rainy Day Circus) -- and struck me as narratively pretty confused (and confusing). Some lovely animation, but it seemed awfully manufactured (not as natural feeling as the best Ghibli work).

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