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Ponyo
Ponyo (voiced by Miley Cyrus’s younger
sister Noah) is a spirited fish-girl who lives in an aquarium in the
underwater castle of her father (Liam Neeson), a magical guardian of the
sea. Unlike her many hundreds of sisters, however, Ponyo desires to see
the world of men. One day she escapes her father’s clutches and forms a
strong friendship with young Sosuke (Frankie Jonas). Though her father
eventually gets her back, by now nothing will do for Ponyo but to become
human. Using all her magic she creates a huge storm and rides the
massive waves back to land, much to the surprise of Sosuke and his
mother (Tina Fey). The Goddess of Mercy (Cate Blanchett) gets wind of
the plan, and declares that is Sosuke can pass a test Ponyo will be
allowed to become human. If he fails, Ponyo will turn into sea foam.
Taking its inspiration from Anderson’s
The Little Mermaid, Ponyo is another triumph for director Hayao
Miyazaki (Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away) and further
establishes Japanese outfit Studio Ghibli as the only serious challenger
for Pixar’s title as the greatest animation studio in the world. The
animation is simply stunning, featuring a beautifully layered
combination of computer generated and traditional techniques, and many
of the film’s 170,000 frames were hand-drawn by Miyazaki himself. The
voicework from the Japanese cast is as flawless as ever and the
star-studded ensemble on the English dub also do a fine job,
particularly Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas, who in spite of their tender
ages carry the film admirably with their spirited, impressively nuanced
interplay.
The Blu-ray release of this stunning film
is laden with several hours’ worth of superlative extras. Principal
among these are a two lively and humorous interviews with Miyazaki in
which he discusses the film and its inspirations; a behind-the-scenes
look at the recording sessions for both the English and Japanese dubs;
and numerous featurettes on all elements of the creative process. Once
again the genius of the Japanese director is evident, and there’s plenty
here to entertain fans of all ages. It’s the perfect treatment for this
enchanting and visually perfect feature, and another near-peerless entry
into the eminently impressive Miyazaki canon.
Special Features
Storyboards
Meet Ponyo
A Conversation with Hayao John Lasseter
Behind the Microphone: The Voices of Ponyo
Creating Ponyo
Ponyo and Fujimoto
The Nursery
Scoring Miyazaki
The Producer’s Perspective: Telling the
Story
The Locations in Ponyo
The Five Geniuses Who Created Ponyo
Hayao Miyazaki Interview
Toshio Suzuki Interview
Dubbing Sessions and Interview with the
Japanese Cast
Theme Song Music Video
Japanese Trailers and TV Spots |
