BLU-RAY
REVIEW: PONYO

02/28/10

OVERVIEW: Ponyo
comes to Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD on March 2, 2010 from Walt
Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Presented by legendary
filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and featuring the exquisitely
hand-drawn animation that has won Miyazaki worldwide
acclaim, Ponyo transports audiences into an enchanting
dreamscape where
anything seems possible. Inspired by the classic Hans
Christian Andersen tale “The Little Mermaid” also
incorporates a very contemporary concern for nature. Hayao
Miyazaki’s Ponyo is packed with never-before-
seen bonus features. The Ponyo Blu-ray and DVD brings
audiences a breathtaking introduction to the world of global
animation for children and adults, making it a perfect
holiday gift for the whole family.
FILM REVIEW:
From the brilliant mind of director Hayao Miyazaki comes his tenth creation, Ponyo like anything else Mr. Miyazaki has
directed animated and produced. This film is a treat for the eye, and lots of fun for all ages. There is no surprise Disney has shown many interest in promoting this picture in the
United States, and it has done it how it should be done, with an impressive and wonderful cast which includes Matt Damon, Noah Cyrus, Frankie Jones and Cate Blanchett nothing could go wrong. The movie although does not have as much excitement as previous Miyazaki’s productions, it has many important aspects that makes it a must see animated movie for youngsters and adults.
The movie flows smoothly, which makes it very easy to understand for young kids. It
seems that Mr. Miyazaki was targeting this crowd. It is the story of a magical fish like creature named Ponyo, who feels attracted to the human
world. But when she meets a little boy named Sasuke, she
falls in love with him and would do everything to be with him. Do not get confused,
this is not the Japanese version of the Little Mermaid, nothing
close to that, the story is more engaging and elaborate than
that Disney’s classic. Its theme is not as complicated, the situations and side stories are also charming. However,
the storyline is poor, since it seems that the director did not give much feedback in some
situations. It looks as he just took the solution out of his sleeve without any explanation, and the
love part between the two kids, who are pretty young to fall in love, is not well
specified. This for an older audience might be
annoying. The other problem with the film is that it stars kind of slow.
Aside from that, the movie is great, the animation is golden, and the world the story takes place is as any of his previous installments, just wonderful. Mr. Miyazaki and his animators were masters in combining the real world with the magical one. Every single scenario, creature (either human or magical) would hypnotize the audience at firs sight. The colors, the detail, and the creativity behind this picture takes it to another level, it
transports the audience to this fantastical world. Ponyo also has a great improvement in the comedy department, with little it manages to still
get lots of laughs by depicting funny situations.
Furthermore, the script itself adds its fair share of laughs; some of Sasukes’s and Ponyo’s remarks are very ordinary but were put in the right place to steal laughs.
The most impressive achievement in this movie is without a doubt the story itself. Ponyo and Mr. Miyazaki have achieved something Disney
has not done in long time. Miyazaki managed to create a marvelous movie
without even adding any rivalry, confrontation, villain, or bad guy in it. All the characters are good guys, none of them have evil motives, and yet the movie does not turn off the audience, on the contrary it wraps the audience in an imaginative and interesting story. Mr. Miyazaki has not stopped to
produce magnificent animated movies, and although this one is not as impressive as Spirited
Away, Howls Moving Castle, Princess Monanoke and Castle in the sky, Ponyo is a superb and creative story that should be a must see for the fans of Miyazaki and animation in general. Also I recommend this movie to parents who
are concerned about evil malicious and disfigured
characters.
Film
Review By Milo
milo@smartcine.com
BLU-RAY:
The film is
presented in 1080P widescreen in a 1.85:1 aspect ration
preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just
flawless, bringing to perfection the bright and beautiful
animation of the film. Not only the picture looks great in
this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1 DTS-HD Master
Audio (48kHz/24bit) in English, Japanese and French that provides a
good complement to the picture. It also includes
English Spanish French
subtitles.
In terms the blu-ray includes
2 main featurettes divided in parts. The first one is
The World of Ghibli which
allow fans to see the world of Hayao MIyazaki's films. The
Second is an interesting and good behind the scenes
featurettes covering every detail of how the film was made.
The only disappointment is the absent of a digital copy
VIDEO:
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen 1080P
AUDIO:
English
5.1 DTS-HD (Dolby Digital) Japanese and French 5.1 .
Subtitles - English Spanish
French Optional
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The World
of Ghibli- Allows fans to
immerse themselves in the amazing worlds from each film
created by legendary filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki in this
multi-layered interactive experience.
Lands to explore include:
• PONYO’S Land
• KIKI’S Land
• CASTLE’S Land
• TOTORO’S Land
Behind the
Studio- Unprecedented access
to all the background, inspiration and process behind he
making of Ponyo and the inner workings of Studio Ghibli
through a series of documentaries. They include all new
interviews with Hayao Miyazaki, and composer Joe Hisaishi.
Also included in this feature are:
• Creating Ponyo
• Ponyo & Fujimoto
• The Nursery
• Behind the Microphone: The Voice of Ponyo
• Producers Perspective: Telling the Story
• Scoring Miyazaki
• The Scenery in Ghibli
• Original Japanese Trailer
DVD
Copy
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