I'm a fan of animated movies in general and Studio Ghibli specifically. I've seen a handful of their work, and appreciated the distribution of their last several movies through Disney, thanks to John Lasseter.
Studio Ghibli lacks the animated pizzazz of the later Disney movies and cutting edge realism of Pixar. Instead they bring a unique style, at least compared to what the domestic animation houses produce, and an organic feel to their animation, due certainly to their continued practice of traditional, hand-drawn animation. And the artwork and animation is always high quality; not flawless, but excellent.
Studio Ghibli also brings, to my American sensibilities, a magical set of rules in for the movies, fluid in their usage but feeling consistent. The use of magic, or quasi-science, or whatever the plot device may be, is never explained but accepted upfront, works and allows for surprising, imaginative, and coherent stories.
Their music tends to be orchestration, sometimes rather grandiose and classical feeling; again in contrast to the John Williams-esque and Phil Collins-pop-rock of Disney and such. The music fits, if to me sometimes seeming a bit over done.
And the stories are dreamlike. They start in an unexpected place and end in an even more unexpected place. Perhaps it is the believable characters that drives the stories and makes them work. As fantastic as they may be -- down to talking bits of charcoal -- they make sense unto themselves and in their world. The stories often touch on the conflict between the modern world and the natural world. While the moves are rich, carrying me along entranced, the endings are usually abrupt, almost non-sequiters, but adequately satisfying.
And so I've enjoyed the last few movies, especially "Spirited Away" and "Howl's Moving Castle".
"Ponyo", unfortunately, compromises every aspect of Studio Ghibli's work. The artwork is sub-par, looking amateurish in the beginning and having rough spots all througout. The rules for the world never quite make sense and feel random. The movie is skewed quite young, seemingly meant for five year olds, and left me feeling antsy, hoping for the film to pick up the pace for large chunks. And the characters are unbelievable. The protagonists are five year olds, acting like they are 10 - 13, and being tested for true love; a preposterous idea for any sense of a kindergartner. The antagonist is never explained, has only vague motivations, is indicated to be a profoundly evil megalomaniac, but whose plans are immediately forgotten and jarringly concluded as silly, over-protective father. And the music is simply pompous and unfitting.
As a Studio Ghibli fan, I watched with the pleasure I could find: several sequences were marvelous and had that special magic. But as a whole, the movie is a mess and quite disappointing.
3 / 5
Studio Ghibli lacks the animated pizzazz of the later Disney movies and cutting edge realism of Pixar. Instead they bring a unique style, at least compared to what the domestic animation houses produce, and an organic feel to their animation, due certainly to their continued practice of traditional, hand-drawn animation. And the artwork and animation is always high quality; not flawless, but excellent.
Studio Ghibli also brings, to my American sensibilities, a magical set of rules in for the movies, fluid in their usage but feeling consistent. The use of magic, or quasi-science, or whatever the plot device may be, is never explained but accepted upfront, works and allows for surprising, imaginative, and coherent stories.
Their music tends to be orchestration, sometimes rather grandiose and classical feeling; again in contrast to the John Williams-esque and Phil Collins-pop-rock of Disney and such. The music fits, if to me sometimes seeming a bit over done.
And the stories are dreamlike. They start in an unexpected place and end in an even more unexpected place. Perhaps it is the believable characters that drives the stories and makes them work. As fantastic as they may be -- down to talking bits of charcoal -- they make sense unto themselves and in their world. The stories often touch on the conflict between the modern world and the natural world. While the moves are rich, carrying me along entranced, the endings are usually abrupt, almost non-sequiters, but adequately satisfying.
And so I've enjoyed the last few movies, especially "Spirited Away" and "Howl's Moving Castle".
"Ponyo", unfortunately, compromises every aspect of Studio Ghibli's work. The artwork is sub-par, looking amateurish in the beginning and having rough spots all througout. The rules for the world never quite make sense and feel random. The movie is skewed quite young, seemingly meant for five year olds, and left me feeling antsy, hoping for the film to pick up the pace for large chunks. And the characters are unbelievable. The protagonists are five year olds, acting like they are 10 - 13, and being tested for true love; a preposterous idea for any sense of a kindergartner. The antagonist is never explained, has only vague motivations, is indicated to be a profoundly evil megalomaniac, but whose plans are immediately forgotten and jarringly concluded as silly, over-protective father. And the music is simply pompous and unfitting.
As a Studio Ghibli fan, I watched with the pleasure I could find: several sequences were marvelous and had that special magic. But as a whole, the movie is a mess and quite disappointing.
3 / 5
