Aug 26, 2009
To start off, Ponyo was probably not the best movie to represent Miyazaki out of all the other movies he directed. Why? because this movie lacked depth due to its target auduience - children.
With that in mind, we can start this review.
Story: The story was basically like the art and the animation of the movie - Plain and simple. The plot was pretty transparent and the summary probably covered most of the story itself but that shouldnt stop you from watching the movie. Again Ponyo's target audience was for children, so the story was probably not as in depth as fans would have enjoyed.
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One evident problem that occured was the many plot holes that presented itself. Viewers such as myself find themselves confused over what this movie was about. The world of Ponyo find itself in a drastic situation where the world is about to experience noah's ark all over again; however, there were never really a sense of danger presented, since the movie focus on Ponyo's character development. Not a bad idea but if they made Sousuke journey more dramatic it might have been better. Overall the story wasnt bad just wasnt excuted to its full potential.
Art: The artworks and animation was amazingly done. Again very simple and clean. The art worked very smoothly with the cutesy characters and the plot. The art definetly made the movie sparkle to a certain extent. On a side note the movie used colours very well, from the colourful life of the town (the rainbows in the water and the bright sunlight) to the dark violent storms. Animation wasnt probably amazing but it kept the whole Miyazaki feel by being similiar to the animation of his other movies - which is very important.
Sound: Not much to say about sounds but the fact that it was top notch. I watched the japanese version not the Disney version just so you know. :P
Character: The movie was filled with cutesy characters and a very cutesy art-style. This was probably done for the children, though I have to admit I really loved it. The movie centre itself on a lot of character development, this allow more sugar to be added to the movie. The characters alone strech the greatness of the movie. Miyazaki portraited the characters wonderfully and every behaviour and actions were very realistic and believable. The character design was very plain and simple but it matched with the whole environment, their behaviour and the feel for the movie.
P.S When a person cares about the people he/she loves, he/she would do almost anything. Such a character was the mother of Sousuke. Despite the raging storm and the high tides, she drove across the bridge to bring her son back to the house. Why? because the house was on high ground and she knew it was a safe place. After caring for her son and Ponyo, she went back to help the elderly that she cares for everyday. :) SO I MUST SAY SHE DID NOT LEAVE HER SON AND PONYO W/O FULLY KNOWING ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE HOUSE. :P (some people been complaining about how heartless she is for abandoning them for old people)
Overall the movie was pretty well done for only having 1 hour+
I enjoyed the movie very much and hope you will too!
8/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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