Review: "Ponyo"

Miyazaki is one of the few remaining holdouts who stubbornly refuses to use any computer animation in his films, and we are all the better for it. Nothing against computer animation - Pixar has been making quality computer animated films for years. But there's just something appealing and more organic about hand drawn animation. Knowing that artists have spent months or even years drawing each and every frame of the film is somehow more impressive than knowing it was all composed of pixels and wire frames on a computer.
His latest film, Ponyo (or Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea as it is known internationally, a title I much prefer to the simplified English moniker), opens with what is, quite simply one of the most visually stunning sequences in any film this year and some of Miyazaki's most breathtaking work to date.

The daughter of a powerful wizard and a beautiful goddess, Ponyo uses their powers to begin to transform into a human girl, forming a firm and fasct friendship with Sosuke, who vows to help her, even though her absence from the sea begins to create great chaos as her parents use their powers to find her no matter the cost, sending out great waves and storms to bring her back.

It's part of what makes Ponyo so charming. It is such a rare thing to see a children's film, let alone one geared for children this young, that actually takes the time to really try to see the world from their point of view. It treats children like actual human beings, worthy of being entertained in an intelligent and fully involving way. It may not be as emotionally rich as films like Castle in the Sky or Spirited Away, that's not what Ponyo is going for - it's just a good story, beautifully told, with great empathy and craftsmanship. It's hard not to hear the sweeping strains of Joe Hisaishi's joyous score, along with the gorgeous imagery, and not be caught up in Miyazaki's grand fantasy. It may go down as being a minor work in Miyazaki's esteemed canon, but if everyone else lived up to Miyzaki's minor works, then the world of animation would be a great place indeed.
GRADE - ★★★½ (out of four)
PONYO; Directed by Hayao Miyazaki; Voices of Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Frankie Jonas, Liam Neeson, Cloris Leachman, Betty White, Lily Tomlin; Rated G; Opens today everywhere.
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