This Week Anime we'll be doing Ponyo, a Japanese animated film that will definitely melt your soul into a pool of warm happiness.
Pronounced Gake no Ue no Ponyo , literally "Ponyo on the Cliff", was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, and animated by Studio Ghibli. The movie was origionally released in Japan on July of 2008, becoming the fourth highest grossing anime film of all time. With it's overwhelmingly beautiful visuals, in-depth story telling, and a sweet plot that gives you all the love you need in one movie, Ponyo is a definite watch.
Ponyo opens up with a strange looking man, Fujimoto, who we find out quickly is Ponyo's (at this time Brunhilde) father, he's doing what seems to be experiments with elixir's under the sea. Aboard his underwater sub, his adventurous daughter starts to wonder out accompanied by her little tadpole sisters (who look just like her only really tiny and stinking cute). Trying to stay out of the gaze of her father and not get her sister's in trouble she scurries back in until the coast is clear.
Once her father is out of sight she says goodbye to her sisters and starts to brave the unknown of the ocean around her. Finding a very comfy spot on a Jelly fish she quietly starts to go further away from what she has always known.
She falls asleep on top of the Jelly fish, and later wakes up and has to find safety from a passing ship. After being tangled, and thrashed around by a net she gets stuck in a jar unable to free herself. She swims and tries to get it off, while trying a little boy (Sōsuke) notices her and picks her up to free her. Beginning the story of Ponyo, on the cliff by the sea.
This story's beauty resonates in it's writing as well as it's animation. If you have never seen Ponyo, I would definitely recommend it. You'll be captivated by the magic, taken on an adventure, struck with amazement, and overwhelmed with the warmth of love. Not to mention the overwhelming feeling of wanting to jump into a Studio Ghibli movie.
Thanks so much, until next week, watch this movie!
