This movie is as cute as can be--absolutely delightful.The graphics are wonderful, and everything is very imaginative. It's full of entrancing details, such as the sound of bare feet padding on the floor, the fish under the sea, the flight of birds seen from above as they soar over the landscape, monstrous waves that look like huge fish coming ashore,the yoga poses of the mother, and the simple making of a ramen noodle dish. Roly-poly Ponyo, herself, is adorable.
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I LOVED this movie...it actually topped Princess Mononoke as my favorite Miyazaki/Ghibli film, and I love all of them. This was a wildly imaginative, gloriously beautiful, villain-less five-year-old version of The Little Mermaid (not to mention that Ponyo comes from an entirely red-headed family!) and so much more. The deceptively simple storyline is in fact one that can be meditated on endlessly.
Right from that gorgeous opening sequence under the sea--wow, the animation of this film was absolutely astounding. The incredible attention to detail captivated me the whole time. I *adored* the design of their little seaside town, from the senior center and school to the market and Sosuke's & Lisa's home, and everything else in between. That part when the town is flooded, and ancient fishes & other sea creatures are swimming all over it, beneath their boat (initially we even see an octopus entering Sosuke's living room when the water is at the door)? I've rarely seen such a thing except in my own imagination and dreams. 'Ponyo' was total movie magic, especially for anyone who, like me, is a true lover of the ocean, water, marine life, superb animation, etc. What an eye candy movie!! Oh, the colors! Each frame is a true work of art. And to consider that the film was drawn entirely by hand, frame by frame--it seems almost miraculous!
...And what a voice cast! They really did an exceptional job with the English dubbing. Everyone gave a wonderful performance and it felt so right that I imagine they couldn't have done much better in translating it from the Japanese. So not only was everything else about it fantastic, but the characterization is as well. Fujimoto is totally my favorite (he rocked so hard), and I also looooved his wife Gran Mamare, Lisa, and the old ladies (Yoshie, Toki, Noriko.) Oh, and of course Ponyo, Sosuke, Koishi, and mostly everyone else. ^^ Basically an all-around awesome and unique movie...definitely enjoyed it very much, and it's going on my favorites list.
I just adore Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki. All of these movies are just...you can get SO much out of them. They never skimp on the subtle little details and nuances that you may barely notice but that actually make the characters and worlds incredibly believable and lifelike.
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I just watched this for the first time the other night and I loved it too! It just has something that makes me keep wanting to think about it over again.
Just an enjoyable film and the first I've seen a Miyazaki film. One of my favorite parts is when Ponyo is running on the ocean and she sees Souske and is happy and is trying to get to him! The music at that part is pretty good.
I liked the octopus slowly making it's way into the house, and it slowly looks at us before it goes inside.
I solemnly swear I am up to no good!
I know, this movie is addictive! I've seen all of the Miyazaki and Ghibli films, and I think they're all amazing, but this is my favorite (followed by Princess Mononoke.) After returning it to Netflix a year ago, I found myself thinking about it so much that I had to borrow it from the library to show my mom...and then after that I realized I had to run over to Target and buy it. The octopus was an awesome little detail. Overall the animation of the water, ocean, and sea creatures was just phenomenal. For a marine life fanatic such as myself, this movie was a squeal-inducing total delight.
shareYay, I'm glad someone else is crazy about this movie too!
That's cool that Target has it also. I love marine life also, and the big cargo ships and this had some of each in it.
I have a puzzle on my desk right now that's a underwater scene, by Christian Riese Lassen. Have you seen his work?
By the way, it's on Starz movie channels, that's how I happened to see Ponyo, and started to watch it. Have you seen the Incredible Mr. Limpet? Where a man turns into a fish.
I solemnly swear I am up to no good!
Oh my word, Lassen has been one of my favorite artists ever since I started using his school supplies years and years and years ago. *__*
And oh, that's great that they're airing it on TV! :D I first watched it because it seemed to me that anything from Studio Ghibli that was based upon The Little Mermaid and featured a little fish-girl and such a stellar cast in the English dub HAD to pretty amazing. And I was right, of course.
I love The Incredible Mr. Limpet! =) What a funny, charming classic.