Pandalicious....LOVES.....Hayao!
We thought that we had seen it all in Hayao Miyuzaki's film "Howl's Moving Castle", well we were WRONG. I personally take responsibility for my own stupidity in this matter. Once again Studio Ghibli along with their friends over at Walt Disney Pictures have come together to bring Hayao Miyuzaki's "Ponyo" to life!
Now since I seem to be in a spoiler kind of mood [Once again I apologize for that!] I will do my very best to not do it now.
When I think of Hayao Miyuzaki films, the first word that enters my mind is Love. He loves love....and frankly who can blame the man?! It is always a focal point in his captivating visual masterpieces. In honesty, I think this is done because everyone can relate to love. We have all experienced the positives and the negatives that can come from it! [I know I have!] He likes to play around with the concept of balance too. Nature and its way have to stay in sync or the world will revert to chaos.
Many have found that this movie is one of his oddest in his career. This is because he took his setting and put it underwater! This story has to do with the ocean and the lives beneath the waves. Miyuzaki tends to do a lot of stories that have the element of air in them. As an element, Air is seen as a pure substance and a universal power. Water on the other hand has been very important to life and it is time we gave it the respect it deserves.
With a voice cast including the acclaimed talents of people like: Cate Blanchett, Lily Tomlin, Liam Neeson, Cloris Leachmen, Betty White, Tina Fey and Matt Damon, who would doubt this movie's success! Now what about the newcomers to this facet of entertainment? Well the two chosen for the lead roles are in fact not new to fame...their last names are drenched in it...Cyrus and Jonas. Now I know what you are thinking, and you'll be pleasantly surprised to find that it isn't Miley or any of the older Jonas brothers. The leads are the younger siblings of the teeny bopper music sensation [Note: Pandalicious got immediately ill after typing those words.] So going into this movie without the knowledge of cast selection, one would never know of the Cyrus/Jonas collaboration...that is until the ending song which is a techno-bastardization done by them. However at that stage of the movie you have the magical ability to get up out of the chair...and LEAVE [I recommend you do that! since it is truly the worst point of the film!]
Ponyo will be added to my collection of Hayao Miyuzaki films once it is released on DVD. I know it will be a while before we see his influence again on the big screen but this story will hold my imagination for quite sometime.As an aside to all your families out there with young children, this is definitely a movie for young people. In fact this just might be the kind of movie you would hope who inspire your up and coming daughters and sons. When I enter into that stage of my life, by which I mean marriage and children, I will definitely be showing this movie to my offspring. Go check this out-- you will not be disappointed...maybe a little disoriented...but not disappointed.
[Look guys NO SPOILERS!!!]
Labels: Anime, movie review, Pandalicious
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