Ponyo review
I know, I know, this review comes about a month late after its early-February UK release but after a belated viewing courtesy of the lovely Prince Charles Cinema I felt the need to write about what will be one of my film highlights of the year.
I have never been the biggest fan of anime, Studio Ghibli, or Hayao Miyazaki’s films. That’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed the likes of Spirited Away or My Neighbour Totoro, it’s just that I haven’t loved them in a way so many people do. But with Ponyo it’s just possible that I’ve seen the light. A stupidly cute but wonderful, relatively simple story about a boy who falls in love with a fish (OK, so that’s really simplifying it) unveiling crazy events and wildly imaginative, compelling, lovable characters make me want to revisit Miyazaki’s catalogue to find similar gems and watch them with newly appreciative eyes.
When Pixar is so highly praised for specifically adding appeal for adults to their films, the likes of Ponyo have to be commended for not actually bothering. The concept and execution can be universally appreciated by young and old and that is a seriously admirable achievement.
14th Mar 2010 | Official site | On IMDb
I've got a boxed set of his older (pre-Mononoke) stuff if you ever want to borrow any!
matt, 4th May 2010