The movie Ponyo is supposed to be for children. Unfortunately, I don’t think that children of the US really understand some of the nuances of this Japanese film released under a Disney logo. In the spirit of full disclosure, I must emphatically state my love of Japan and the Japanese culture. Please keep this mind when reading this review.
From the opening credits, viewers will realize that this isn’t a Disney movie. Gone are the garish Technicolor hues associated with Disney and Pixar products. Vanished are the computer animated drawing and reproduction. Absent are the slick cels associated with today’s animation.
The color palette consists of dusty pastels and amended primary colors. When a bright color is used it is textured with brush strokes and crosshatching. The animation is stop gap style animation associated with Speed Racer type of old fashioned animation. The look is very 60s mod style animation (think of the Yellow Submarine film) crossed with classic Japanese woodblock printing of Hokusai.
Simply put, the movie is an artist’s dream to watch.
As for the plot, this is a Japanese retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid. Unfortunately for the kids that saw the movie when I did (a 3:00 pm Sunday show time), they seemed to lose interest in the movie. The adults seemed to enjoy the movie more than the children. People did complain about the Japanese cultural aspects (Japanese names, Japanese kanji on the buildings, Japanese bowing to authority figures, etc.).
As for me, it is a worthwhile adventure that should be seen on the large screen. I would recommend this movie for artists, Japanese anime enthusiasts, and children over the age of six.
I rate this movie zero watches.
Viewed on August 16, 2009 at AMC Empire 25 (NYC).
NB. I would have preferred to have heard this movie in Japanese with English subtitles. There is something annoying about having American actors dub the voices of these characters. They young girl that voiced Ponyo sounded like Elmo. Betty White sounds like Betty White and her voice overpowers the elderly character she plays in the film. Unfortunately, some of the characterization gets lost because viewers associate what they are seeing to the voice of the actor rather than the character being shown.
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