Ponyo
Ponyo, the latest from anime king Hayao Miyazaki, is based on the Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. It tells the story of 5-year-old Sosuke (Frankie Jonas), who discovers a magical goldfish stuck in a jar in the heavily polluted Japanese harbor. The fish, who the boy names Ponyo, ran away from her father Fujimoto (Liam Neeson), a wizard whose daily job is to manage the balance of nature. Fujimoto is none-too-pleased with the treatment of the oceans by the “black-souled” humans and harbors deep-seeded prejudices against them. Regrettable for the undersea sorcerer,Ponyo, having licked Sosuke ’s wound and becoming best-est pals with him, wants to become a human. It’s understandable. Being a human is the best next to being a giraffe or emu. Maybe an impala.
As Fujimoto’s grave concerns over the ramifications of Ponyo’s wishes prove real, Ponyo’s sea goddess of a mother (Cate Blanchett) reveals that Ponyo’s wish can come true but it is ultimately up to Sosuke.
The voice cast also includes Tina Fey, Matt Damon, Betty White, Cloris Leachman and Lily Tomlin.
Ponyo quickly endears itself through its fanciful imagery and messages of friendship. It’s easy to see why the movie is already a huge hit in Japan and even easier to see why Disney picked up the distribution rights. Ponyo is rare because the story, while appealing to anyone with a heart, doesn’t have the adult-oriented jokey jokes that typical American animated flicks usually have. In fact, it’s downright kid-ish. Yet, despite its solidified stance, it’s anything but unintelligent. It’s magical and in a cinematic environment that takes childhood memories (and toys) and turns them into lobotomy surgeries, Ponyo is a triumph and a magnificent entry into Miyazaki’s revered-library.
The special features on this Blu-ray release feature The World of Ghibli, Meet Ponyo, and a storyboard featurette of the film.
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