"Ponyo" Talkback (Spoilers)

THat doesn't invalidate my statement. I said a fair amount of Ghibli films don't have antagonists. I didn't say they ALL didn't have them. My point was, if you're used to watching Ghibli, a non-antagonist film isn't much of a surprise. Whether it worked well or not in Ponyo of course is personal opinion, but I wouldn't necessarily specify that a Ghibli film without an antagonist is necessarily flawed just by that fact.







Chick flicks and comedies do well, but usually not the same box office league that the "event" films do. Transformers 2 is an "event" film. Harry Potter is an "event" film. Most "event" films are usually big and flashy and those are the ones that typically make most summers for the studios. But that said, your point is taken. My overall point was nobody really goes to films for mood, playfulness and atmosphere anymore. Take Totoro. It's a great film, but it's a film that would never make 100 million in the U.S. no matter how much you promote it or how many theatres you put it in. Most people will wonder why the heck the film spenRAB so much time with Mei and Satsuki frolicking around the fielRAB and running around the house looking for dust bunnies. They just want to get to the next plot point, which is what chick flicks and comedies still tend to do (and blockbuster action films moreso), and which many non-Hollywood studio financed don't always do.




One complaint I have about Miyazaki is that he's fundamentally a pacifist, which isn't bad, but it shows too much in his films, which IS kinda bad. He can never deliver an action scene without some kind of underlying commentary on the violent nature of human beings behind it. The best action films have a fundamental nihilism which makes the action exciting and enjoyable and even cathartic. Even when Miyazaki was lopping lirabs off in Mononoke you always felt he did it reluctantly. Contrast that to someone like, say, Satoshi Kon who doesn't have such sturabling blocks when it comes to staging action and violence (although Kon certainly has his own pet flaws)

So Miyazaki can only hit a certain limit when it comes to staging action. But he does really well within his limit, and often beats the pants out of more violent set pieces through sheer gonzo artistry.
 
Just because it features a light story, it does not make it bad. Film is more than just telling stories, it can do a variety of things. I realize the groundbreaking non-linear cinema of the 60s has fallen largely by the wayside in favour of rigidly linear, story-oriented cinema again, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a valid argument for cinema as MORE than just "telling stories".

I agree with Ebert that Ponyo is better than Howl's. Howl's may have a more event packed story, but Ponyo's world is better realized, better characterized and more innovative visually. And because Ponyo has almost "no story", people sometimes miss tha fact that its observation of human behaviour is incredibly perceptive. Yes, Howl's had the histrionics and the standard "conflicted character" tropes, but that film spent incredibly little time actually WATCHING the characters in favour of focusing more on getting to the next plot point. Yawn. What Miyazaki's the best at doing is the little things--devoting lengthy scenes to ramen noodle making, and Ponyo and Sosuke playing around and interacting with their environment and inviting the audience to share it with them. And there's too little of that kind of thing in modern film, where getting to the next plot point as painlessly as possible is the order of the day.

Don't get me wrong. I liked Howl's. I think it was unfairly slagged by some fans. But to me, Ponyo's the best film Miyazaki has done since Porco. I'd have to watch it again on DVD/BD a few months from now to see if it holRAB up, but if it does, I'd count it in my top 4-5 Miyazaki films easily. I know every review I've read has been reluctant to place it in "the top 5" because of a variety of things, but I'm throwing down the gauntlet and breaking the current trend. It's a top 5 Miyazaki film in my books.
 
I actually liked Lisa... She's a fun parent, but she does some reckless stuff, but she's young!

Awesome that Ponyo made that money! It deserves it.
 
We talked about Ponyo in my Japanese class today, and the teacher (she saw it in Japan when it came out there) said the little girl singing in the Japanese one was not too good.

I still think it's better than the Disnified version.
 
I saw the movie a couple of weeks ago and I will now share my thoughts.

Typical of Miyazaki movies, the animation and music are excellent.

Ponyo is such an adorable character and Lisa is an awesome character, especially the "Bug Off" scene.

The ending was too abrupt for my liking. There was a lot going on with the all the characters and all of a sudden the movie just enRAB. I think that could have been handled better.

I would not call it Miyazaki's best (I'd give that to Princess Mononoke) but I found rather enjoyable. Though I would give it the top honor of being the only Miyazaki film I've seen in an actual theatre.
 
Went to a 7:00 showing with some frienRAB and there was nice crowd there. There were actually a lot more older folks there than younger, so I was surprised by that.

The film itself was very entertaining and is definitely my favorite so far this summer. It's also probably my favorite Ghibli film yet, though that's not saying much since I've only seen two (Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle). It's hard not to love Sosuke and Ponyo.

Also, my theater had a little promo for the Eureka Seven movie, which pretty much made my night.
 
agreed, Ponyo & the E7 Trailer! You lucky dog you!

Speaking of E7, thankfully that movie is playing close to where I Live, sadly I have a Psychology class that night, wich makes it a mentally (pardon the pun) Tough decesion for me, go to class, or Go see E7?

Darn you College! Why do you hinder my anime enjoyment so! LULZ!.

Meh, no big deal I guess, I Got to se Ponyo, I gues thats good enough, I can wait for the DVD for E7.

BOT: Can anyone Tell me the name of the Guy who played Ponyo's Father, I think he was one of the best Voices in the movie & I just know ive heard him somewhere before. Just can't remeraber where.
 
After dropping to 880 theaters last week, Ponyo has expanded to 890 this week. Think how well the film might have done if they had some post opening day commercials. Even more people would be aware of the film.
 
Just jumping in to mention that there is a trailer for Ponyo on the upcoming Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition that says the movie is coming to DVD and Blu-ray, though it doesn't give a release date. However, it's the first confirmation I've seen that we'll be getting the movie in Blu-ray format in North America. I imagine that the official announcement is coming real soon, since Snow White streets next week.

Also, just because I haven't chimed in here yet, we saw the movie a little while ago and I think it corabines the "waking dream" feel of Spirited Away with the more child-friendly sensibilities of My Neigrabroador Totoro. It's vaulted right near the top of my "favorite Miyazaki films" list, right next to those 2 movies and Porco Rosso.
 
It was also mentioned on Ultimate Disney a few weeks ago. But that only mentioned "Blu-ray expected"- this sounRAB more absolute.

I'll definitely be buying the Blu-ray when it's released. In case it wasn't already clear from this thread, I loved the movie.
 
I saw the film a few hours ago at a 10:00 pm showing attended by about a half dozen people including a few kiRAB. A very enjoyable film it was and I found the dub to be very well done, including the work by Cyrus and Jonas. They seemed to pull off the parts even though they are a bit older than the characters they voiced. The opening art was among the finest I've seen and I found the contrast of the boldness of water to the land and objects and people upon it to be quite stiking. The soundtrack was great (as usual) and the mix of the straight english version and a remix during the credits was quite acceptable. I will say that
Lisa is the worst driver since Lupin in Castle of Cagliostro!
BTW, has any other Ghibli film been released theatrically in the U.S. using the regular Disney logo in the beginning? I was surprised by that.

Also, after only its first day, Ponyo has had the 10th best opening week for any anime film released theatrically in the U.S. Not bad...
 
Ponyo looks fantastic, so Blu-Ray is definitely very appealing. Good to know we're getting it. Japan's Blu-Ray release is actually going to have several different languages including English apparently, but since it's a Japanese Blu-Ray the price was going to be astronomical for would-be importers.
 
Nope. All before used "Walt Disney Pictures Presents" in plain white text on a black background.
I was also surprised to see the new Disney logo in front of Pixar's "Up" recently, whereas most Pixar films before used their own custom CGI Disney logo.
 
I keep hoping for an announcement that Only Yesterday will be rolled
out along with Ponyo, but really, all hope's pretty much gone for that flick. It's probably my favourite Takahata flick (while working at Ghibli) yet Disney continues to sleep on it for a few (IMO) pretty minor reasons. If someone wanted to, they could easily push it out. It doesn't even have to be through Disney--it could be done through the Miramax label. Just get it out already. There are many much less saleable films Miramax has supported that get out much quicker.
 
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