Ponyo: Miyazaki’s “Wilco The Album”?

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Written by Eydie

If Japanese animation sensei Hayao Miyazaki was a band, his latest movie, Ponyo, would be his super-moderate CD after an oeuvre of lush orchestrations, clever recording manipulations, and experimental minimalism. Kind of like what folks are saying about Wilco’s new album, titled Wilco (The Album).

The feature-length cartoon–which came out last year in Japan and was re-dubbed and heavily marketed by Disney for American theaters–is a surprisingly stripped-down version of Miyazaki’s work, which historically left audiences breathless with films like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and the sweet and kid-friendly Totoro. The latter is my favorite of his movies–so maybe that’s why I liked Ponyo more than not, since (as my cousin warned me) you have to keep in mind it’s made strictly for little ones.

Miyazaki’s trademark realism only appears in Ponyo as inconsequential background, like rain-slicked roads. The movie looks like a picture book thrown onto the big screen, cartoonish for the sake of it. The sea wizard, Fujimoto, is voiced regally by Liam Neeson, but looks like an escapee from Yellow Submarine. The title character, Fujimoto’s daughter, looks like one of those simplistic Korean drawings that are popular within a slightly subversive subculture–the human-faced fishie is cute, but has to grow on you.

Regardless, I didn’t hate Ponyo at all. I think Miyazaki, who had everything drawn and animated by hand and not computer, was both (1) aiming to make a film truly for children, and (2) wanted to see what he could do when he limited himself. Certain elements work wonderfully within these limits, like scenes in the ocean or after a flood in which octopuses (that’s the proper pluralization, by the way), crabs, and other fauna creep up walls or along the seabed. And I love that unlike most flicks manufactured “for the whole family,” Miyazaki doesn’t use lame sexual innuendo or whitewashed hip hop to try to grab parents’ interest. It’s a kids’ movie, deal with it.

Maybe it’s banal, but Ponyo’s plot is still sweet: A mermaid-like fish falls in love with a little boy, Sosuke, and he with her, so she wants to become human and grow up with him. Except for Fujimoto’s initial recalcitrance, all the parents are fine with this. Indeed, none of the adults question Sosuke about his love for his fish, or his claim that some strange little girl is his fish, or that the fish and/or girl are magical. It’s not a realistic plot point, but it’s got to be a great comfort to very small viewers–the way Snuffleupagus’ change in status from imaginary to real was meant to assure Sesame Street viewers that grown-ups will listen to them when something is important.

If you have kids, definitely take them to Ponyo. If you don’t, then be warned: You won’t be wowed, but you just might leave singing happily about “a little fish from the deep blue sea… a little girl with a round tum-my,” despite yourself.

Tags: feature length cartoons Miyazaki Ponyo