SYNOPSIS:
Sosuke is a five year old boy who lives on a cliff. One day,
he rescues a strange looking goldfish and names her Ponyo
after taking a great liking to her, and promises to protect
her forever. Unknown to him, Ponyo is a magic fish and she
decides that she wants to live with Sosuke. Unfortunately,
Ponyo's decision to give up her underwater life creates a
crack in an ancient magic spell and places the world in danger.
Together, Sosuke and Ponyo must set things right.
MOVIE REVIEW:
It happened on a quiet day. Two people were discussing work related matters when a mobile phone rang. What this reviewer heard next was a recorded tune of a young girl chanting: "Ponyo Ponyo Ponyo Saka Na No Ko..." Yes, if you don’t already know by now, this theme song was quite a hit (not only because of its catchiness, but also to the commendable job done by the marketing folks) when the movie was released theatrically a while ago. Together with puppets, key chains and plush toys, the celebrated Japanese anime director Hayao Miyazaki's tenth film produced for the celebrated Japanese animation giant Studio Ghibli created quite a wave (pardon the pun), just like the Academy Award winner's previous works.
To put it simply, the plot centres on a goldfish named Ponyo who wants to become a human girl. In pursuing that dream, she befriends a young human boy named Sosoke, and together with Ponyo's strict father, Sosuke's caring mother, and a whole lot other interesting characters like wave spirits, goldfish sisters and a motley crew of senior citizens, Miyazaki again tells a story which you can only imagine in fantasy land.
One thing which hasn't changed for the director's films is his simple yet affecting visual style. The classic animation does not resort to cutting edge technology (take note, Hollywood animation honchos) to attract the audiences. The traditional 2D scheme of drawings brings out the beauty and lyricism of the wonderful world as seen through Ponyo and Sosuke's eyes. Whether it is the massive underwater world Ponyo lives in or the picturesque seaside village Sosuke grows up in, you almost feel the realism and charm, and would very much to be an animated character in the film.
Another signature feature of Miyazaki's film is composer Joe Hisaishi's score. Like Spirited Away (2001) and Howl's Moving Castle (2004) before this, the Japanese Academy Awards winner has orchestrated a grand and moving soundtrack which makes you want to be part of the adventure. Of course, the stakes are upped with the adorable theme song performed by Fujioka Fujimaki and eight year old Nozomi Ohashi- altogether now: "Ponyo Ponyo Ponyo Saka Na No Ko..."
The story may sound simple as you read it, but the complexities and depth of the themes explored within the plot developments are worthy of your time. Overarching all the different subject matters would be one word: "love". What is love to a mythical being? What is love to a human being? What is love when approached by an individual? What is love when seen by a large group of people? These and more make this 101 minute animated feature a great tool for both adults and children to learn some important values in life.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Code 3 DVD contains an extra bonus disc where you can watch the movie based on the Storyboard drawn by the animators. There are also two Trailers included on this second disc.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The disc’s visual transfer accentuates the magical world of Ponyo and Sosuke, and there are Mandarin Dolby Digital 2.0, Cantonese Dolby Digital 2.0 and the original Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 or 6.1 Surround DTS_ES audio tracks to choose from.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
Posted on 10 August 2009
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