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Gakeno Ue no Ponyo
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Animation - 9.0 |
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Sound - 8.0 |
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Story - 6.0 |
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Character - 6.5 |
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Value - 6.0 |
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Enjoyment - 7.0 |
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Average - 7.1 |
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| Average |
6.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| Ponyo on a Cliff is an anime movie released in 2009, by Studio Ghibli and directed by the highly acclaimed Hayao Miyazaki. While still excelling in some areas, as expected from Studio Ghibli, Ponyo on a Cliff falls significantly short when compared to other masterpieces by Miyazaki.
The graphics and animation in Ponyo have the same artistic appeal and wonderful flow as can be found in all Ghibli productions. However, it does not quite have the high level of quality and detail as in other masterpieces such as Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke. The character designs take on a more child like appearance, so the lack of detail is also present here. Nevertheless, Ponyo is still interesting to watch, and more-so for younger viewers.
The voice acting in Ponyo is top quality, as can be expected from Studio Ghilbi. The english version, courtesy of Disney, is also very good although noticeably cheesier. The background music and theme song are decent, but once again, not particularly noteworthy. Songs has never been a strong point in the productions from Studio Ghibli, and this movie is no different.
While the storyline of Ponyo on a Cliff may appeal to younger audiences, it does not offer much for the more mature viewer. I personally find it overly simplistic and straight forward, as well as highly predictable. There are some parts which begin to add some sophistication to the story, but the movie fails to build on those moments. The ending also feels overly exaggerated and mockingly pleasant, dragging down the quality of the entire movie. I would think that the storyline of Ponyo on a Cliff would be met with criticism by most adult viewers, which is very disappointing.
The characters in Ponyo on a Cliff are well voiced, but they all appear overly immature regardless of their age. Also, there are many characters who have indistinctive personalities, as well as more interesting side characters who only make a brief appearance. Character development is very limited, although that is to be expected from an anime movie. In summary, although the characters in Ponyo on a Cliff are adequate, they fail to add additional substance to the movie.
Ponyo on a Cliff makes me feel that Miyazaki is losing his magic touch. Children will most likely enjoy Ponyo on a Cliff to a great extent, but it is sad that it will not satisfy viewers of all ages, as many previous productions by Studio Ghibli have done. Compared to other movies from Miyazaki, I cannot say that I would recommend Ponyo on a Cliff. As a stand alone movie, it is one that I would recommend to young children only.
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| The spectacle that is Ponyo is every bit as magnificent as any of Miyazaki's works, or perhaps any animated work ever. There are memorable sequences abound, and in typical Miyazaki style, they may be notable as wildly imaginative or as heartwarmingly human. Anything under the water would fall into the former category, while the affection between the two main characters is so lifelike that it may cause you to up and grab the nearest person and give him/her a nice squeeze. Ponyo is just about the sweetest thing that exists, and it's not only because of the cute quasi-romance between the two 5 year-olds. From the borderline senile old ladies, to the tiny spat between Sosuke's parents, to the way Ponyo's father, the antagonist, swoons in the presence of her mother, it's a sugar fest from top to bottom.
The extremity of the cuteness will make this film difficult for some. As someone who enjoys a nice family friendly movie, I still found it cloying at times. The other problem with Ponyo is that it is essentially an adventure like Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle, but it's filled with all the inanity of Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service. In Kiki's Delivery Service, there isn't a central conflict established in the beginning and resolved at the end, but in its exploration of Kiki's problems, it feels like an insightful look at a slice of her life. In Spirited Away, you have a gratifying and epic adventure with a clear and powerful climax. Ponyo is set up like an adventure, with making Ponyo human as the primary goal, but in the journey the plot meanders to much smaller conflicts while potentially plot enriching points such as the discovery of the wizard's plan to destroy humanity or the final test that must be passed to make Ponyo human are resolved in painfully anticlimactic fashion. Ponyo has many memorable and wonderful scenes, but as a whole it is a bit unsatisfying.
I watched the English version, localized by Disney, so I cannot comment on the original regarding music or voices since Disney is notorious for filling in the silence. The music is orchestral and epic at times, and whimsical and skippy at others, but it can get intrusive. While the epic scenes are beautifully accompanied by the soundtrack, many of the cuter, smaller scenes don't require the bouncy and somewhat loud music to make it more saccharin that it already is. Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, and Cate Blanchette all do a notably good job with their characters. Noah Cyrus's Ponyo captures her essence well enough, but there is something a little off about Sosuke. Everything that comes out of his mouth sounds at least slightly forced.
Ponyo's eccentric, borderline crazy "villain" of a father is just one aspect of many that makes this film memorable. I think from this day forward, anyone who says "Respect your father!" will get a chuckle from me. It's just hard to forget a movie as sweet as this is, for better or worse. The beautiful visuals are the perfect medium for expressing Miyazaki's sentimentality as well as his whimsy. The directionless plot will leave most at least slightly unsatisfied when walking out the theater.
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