Ponyo
It didn’t take long for me to be transported into Hayao Miyazaki’s latest jewel “Ponyo.” His hand-drawn artistry was a thrilling reminder of the beauty and detail hand-drawn animation offers audiences- yes, CG can offer similar beauty in the right hands, and stop-motion is still an art unto itself, but Miyazaki once again provides a masterful example of the power of cel animation.
Produced for American audiences by Pixar head honcho John Lasseter, “Ponyo” tells the story of a little fish (voiced by Noah Cyrus)who finds her way into the life of a young boy named Sosuke (Frankie Jonas). She’s wanting to get away from her overprotective father of the ocean Fujimoto (Liam Neeson). Through circumstance, Ponyo becomes human, and wishes to stay with Sosuke on the land. But such things disrupt the natural order of the world- only magic and love can bring the world back into focus.
The Disney-fied theme song at the end aside, “Ponyo” is a true work of art. As with previous English translations of Miyazaki’s films by Lasseter and co., an all-star cast (including Tina Fey, Cate Blanchett, Betty White, Matt Damon, and others) gets to the heart and soul of the film.
The rest is Miyazaki and long-time composer Joe Hisaishi, whose beautiful score rivals his work for “Princess Mononoke” and “Spirited Away.” Admittedly, I felt Miyazaki’s artistry took a step back with “Howl’s Moving Castle,” but “Ponyo” returns not just to the fun of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” but the thematic resonance of “Spirited Away,” also about a character forced to grow up earlier than they normally would. The scenes where just about the entire town is underwater is another one of the director’s visual marvels. Pixar may be king of the CG realm with its’ unique and unforgettable stories, but as his continuing support shows, Lasseter knows who the modern master of their medium is.
