I'm as big a fan of Miyazaki as the next guy but an 8.1 seems way too high for this movie. Sure, it's cute & heartwarming, but there doesn't seem to be a whole lot to it. There's no real sense of conflict & not everything is developed quite as well as it could have been. I've watched it twice recently & enjoyed it, but it was very unsatisfying compared with some of his others.
shareI give this a 9. I love it once I love it twice. We run around singing the music.
share[deleted]
Currently it's at 8.3 and number 129 on the IMDB Top 250. I give it 6 out of 10. It just doesn't have much of a story and it didn't engage me, it felt like it was aimed at young children (who could easily find it boring as well) Two thirds of the way through it suddenly occurred to me that perhaps there was something to this story, that possibly it was meant be about children dealing with loss and I became more interested in the story when the little girl went missing, but in the end nothing really happened.
Yes, it has charm than all the silly little CGI films of today that I just can't bothered with (even Frozen's trailer puts me off seeing it) but I don't see how it's that great compared to the other Studio Ghibli films, I even enjoyed Kiki's Delivery Service more. Also Studio Ghiblis are mostly drawn and animated the same way (always big mouths opening wide, people running jerkily with arms waving side to side), so once you've seen one or two the novelty can wear off a little.
I don't agree that Miyazaki/Ghibli films are inherently better than the traditionally animated Disney films, many of which are based on timeless European fairy tales so at least they tend to have a good story, whereas some Ghibli films like Totoro seem to rely mostly on their particular brand of Japanese anime whimsy. The real thing people have against Disney is that it's seen as being too commercial and merchandise oriented.
I don't agree that Miyazaki/Ghibli films are inherently better than the traditionally animated Disney films, many of which are based on timeless European fairy tales so at least they tend to have a good story, whereas some Ghibli films like Totoro seem to rely mostly on their particular brand of Japanese anime whimsy.
What version of this film is everyone watching, the Disney or Fox dubs, or in Japanese.
If only watching the Disney dub I can understand the questioning of its high score and I feel it is way inferior to the original Fox/Troma dub (and of course the Japanese).
There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.
I understand why people love this film, but it just wasn't very engaging or enchanting to me personally. I do enjoy it, but more as something playing in the background when I'm doing something else (homework, chores, writing, etc). It feels a little bit more magical that way, if that makes any sense? It's very relaxing to have on but I don't find it satisfying enough for me to focus on it by itself.
shareBecause it's a truly wonderful film? I can't even remember the last time a film made me feel this happy - a solid 10 in my book.
shareIt's because it's a beautiful movie and after seeing it for the first time I felt like a child again. I felt renwed. All the years fell away like nothing and I was left looking at the world with the wonder of a child.
I'll never forget how it made me feel.
Though I can see where you're coming from, come on, it's a kids movie! I feel like unlike many other movies, it's good it doesn't have a conflict, and people aren't stressed whilst watching it.