Ponyo – Miyazaki Returns!

I’m not usually one to succumb to hype (Hangover was good, but it wasn’t as good as everyone would have you believe). Everyone who’s ever seen a Hayao Miyazaki film will tell you to immediately go see Ponyo, the director’s latest import. And I’ve seen more than a few Miyazaki films, so I feel qualified to tell you: Succumb to the hype.

As Hollywood runs around trying to up the ante on 3D animation, sometimes sacrificing smart storytelling in favor of really cool shading techniques, it’s refreshing when an animated film arrives that highlights the genre’s art yet maintains a high quality of story. Animated movies do not require an audience full of children. They only require a little imagination.

Which brings us to Miyazaki, a man responsible for great animated tales: Porco Rosso, Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle. In Ponyo, his latest, a young goldfish with magical abilities finds her way to the surface and falls in love with a human. She magics herself into a five year old girl (since the love of her life is also five – it’s not as weird as it sounds). She raises the ocean floor and upsets the gravity of the earth and moon to reach him. But she’s five, so she doesn’t notice. And the boy’s mom is a modern lady, so she kind of gets it but doesn’t bat an eyelash. Because Ponyo’s adorable. Ponyo’s parents then set out to find a way to restore the balance of nature, while still allowing their daughter to follow her heart.

Miyazaki is known for dense stories and layered characters. Usually, they are driven by simple motivations, but their adventures are grand, the stakes high, and the challenges appear insurmountable. His animation, though traditional, and by comparison to the monster 3D extravaganzas we usually see now, seems simple. Nevertheless, he is a master at crafting images and colors without resorting to effects to remain memorable. Red-headed Ponyo racing on a sea water of deep blue fish, a yellow house on a hill surrounded by the ocean, Ponyo running around, holding a bright light or her green bucket. She’s a cartoon character with energy and passion, captured as effortlessly in animation as if she were real.

However, Ponyo is not Miyazaki’s best. Children have been the focus of his stories before, but Ponyo seems aimed at a much younger crowd than usual. Perhaps that is a result of Miyazaki’s original inspiration. Though as an adult there is much to appreciate, we will also notice the flaws. Ponyo lacks the depth of previous films, and the story’s easy resolution is at odds with the dire consequences of an unbalanced Mother Nature. Still, we recognize moments and qualities: how easily Miyazaki captures the enthusiasm of a child in a new world, along with little touches of movements and gestures so easily lost and overlooked in 3D animation and “big budget” projects. While this is no Howl’s… or Porco Rosso, Ponyo is still very much worth seeing for all of the things Miyazaki (always) gets right.

The solo adventures of a five year old and his little friend might be jarring at first glance, but there is one requirement to watching a Miyazaki film: remember the magic. Every character possesses a potential for greatness, every conflict hides its potential for resolution. Magic is everywhere and essential to the heroes’ success. His films tell stories with practical lessons and identifiable crises, set in worlds that require the audience to use their imaginations as much as he does. Miyazaki uses his imagination better than anyone, so be prepared to open your mind. Miyazaki will do the rest.