# Ponyo... anybody seen it yet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 15, 2009, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497 "2009-08-15T06:18:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/1 "2009-08-15T06:18:31Z")
I saw that **Lissener** had a couple of passes a few days ago… I’m thinking of taking my 7 year-old daughter to this tomorrow while mom goes to _District 9_. Is it worth my while? ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/2 "2009-08-15T12:58:45Z")
I haven’t seen it, but it’s Miyazaki so it’s gotta be good. I’ll probably see it before it leaves the theaters, but the English-speaking cast is damping my enthusiasm, changing the must-see factor from “OH MY GOD, OPENING DAY!” to “I’ll probably see it before it leaves the theaters.” I’d rather see the original Japanese version with English subtitles. When I saw **Spirited Away** , they had the original downstairs in the big theater (the BIG theater, the one where they showed Titanic, The Matrix, Fellowship of the Ring and all the other BIG movies) and upstairs in one of the small theaters they were showing the English-dubbed version. This time, I don’t see that an original Japanese-language version is being shown anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/3 "2009-08-15T13:07:55Z")
My family and I are going to a private screening of it today at 12:30. I hope it’s good. I am not that big on Miyazaki’s little kids stuff. I loved Nausicaa and Mononoke though. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/4 "2009-08-15T13:12:52Z")
I saw this yesterday. It is definitely a little kid movie, more along the lines of _My Neighbor Totoro_ than \* Nausicaa\*. Miyazaki has an amazing way of getting inside the minds of young children-- certainly they were the most captivated demographic in the theater. The storyline is very simple and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but there is some stunning animation which alone makes the film worthwhile. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/5 "2009-08-15T14:26:10Z")
Yes, I liked it quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/6 "2009-08-15T19:41:23Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > The storyline is very simple and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense . . . Well, except that it’s basically an adaptation of Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” with environmental overtones. Although with Miyazaki, “environmental” is far too small a word: his view of such things doesn’t seem to be about such earthbound \*issues \*as politics and pollution; it’s more about the Wholeness of Everything and the Magic of Nature–and the humans who, more through a narrow worldview than malice, manage to keep fucking it up. \*\*Ponyo \*\*is not only mindbogglingly beautiful, it establishes Miyazaki yet again as one of the most important artists of today. If there’s a single filmmaker I’d nominate for a Noble Prize in Literature (is it any less literature because there’s an ADDED layer of imagery?), it’s Miyazaki. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/7 "2009-08-16T01:29:32Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > \*\*Ponyo \*\*is not only mindbogglingly beautiful, it establishes Miyazaki yet again as one of the most important artists of today. If there’s a single filmmaker I’d nominate for a Noble Prize in Literature (is it any less literature because there’s an ADDED layer of imagery?), it’s Miyazaki. I think Spirited Away is the one that made me realize that it’s a shame animated movies can’t win “Best Picture” at the Oscars. Has he received a lifetime achievement Oscar yet? If so, they really need to get moving on this. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/8 "2009-08-16T14:29:14Z")
I saw it last night with my 14 yo who is a big Miyazaki fan. He enjoyed it (albeit placing well below Miyazaki’s other work, like _Spirited Away_ or _Howl’s Moving Castle_ and like **olivesmarch** putting it with _Totoro_), but while I appreciated the animation some (and appreciated the somewhat different style used for the underwater world - more Peter Max like - than for the human world), I still came away underwhelmed. Excusing it as one of his little kid movies just doesn’t cut it to me. Most of his other work has a more fully imagined world that adults and kids can both appreciate. The best little kids stuff appreciates that kids can understand and appreciate some characters with depth too and also recognize that parents are watching along with the kids - they can play at multiple levels of understanding. This was … trite. Even _Disney_ did a more interesting story adapting this fable, albeit not as prettily drawn. No real depth to any character, no real dramatic tension, no real explanation of why characters changed opinions so quickly, and no sense of a fully realized mythology to go with the world. Maybe my son’s enthusiasm for him got my hopes up too high, and I won’t say this to him, but honestly - meh. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/9 "2009-08-16T14:34:00Z")
I did love the Ponyo baby stare down though! ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/10 "2009-08-16T16:26:37Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I think Spirited Away is the one that made me realize that it’s a shame animated movies can’t win “Best Picture” at the Oscars. Well, technically, they can be nominated and win in that category (though for all practical purposes, it will never happen). > [@](#): > > Has he received a lifetime achievement Oscar yet? If so, they really need to get moving on this. No, and he never will (animators rarely do), but he does have an Oscar for Animated Feature for _Spirited_, and I imagine he’ll probably get a nod this year, too (the animation branch is full of his admirers). Looking forward to seeing it when I get a chance… ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/11 "2009-08-16T16:36:02Z")
Saw it partially yesterday, a very pretty film, but my 2 year old wasn’t into sitting in the theater. ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/12 "2009-08-16T19:06:31Z")
Saw it at a film festival a few weeks ago. Utterly enchanted by it. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/13 "2009-08-16T19:14:32Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Excusing it as one of his little kid movies just doesn’t cut it to me. I agree; \*Totoro \*is one of the greatest works of art of the 20th Century. It’s not for “little kids,” it’s for that scrap of childhood innocence and wonder and ready \*belief \*retained to some degree in all of us. Me, I’m not a fan of _Howl’s Moving Castle_, Miyazaki’s most earthbound work. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/14 "2009-08-16T19:33:42Z")
Nausicaa is my favorite Miyazaki. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/15 "2009-08-16T23:44:28Z")
I saw it last night with my 12 year old Miyazaki fan. She and I loved it. My 15 year old son thought it was “meh”. His loss! I thought it was a great story, and perfectly paced. Many foreign films have sections that us 'Murrican audiences think are slow. Ponyo does not. I thought the voice acting of the American cast was top notch. Every frame of the film is a work of art. IMO it’s a wonderful movie for kids and the whole family. Everyone should see it! Typo-Bob says check ot out! ---
**Author:** ![Viridiana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Viridiana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Viridiana)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/16 "2009-08-17T10:28:22Z")
Saw it in May (Japanese version) and it was enchanting indeed, if not close to breaking my Miyazaki top 3. The pool of voice actors they got for the dub sounds terribly inappropriate, but I don’t know how badly it’ll affect things. In any case it should be wonderful for a 7-year old, for whom the depth of character should be sufficient. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/17 "2009-08-18T22:51:48Z")
I saw it! My first time seeing a Miyazaki film in the theater—I figured I had to do it at least once in my life. A little kids’ movie, maybe, but beautifully done—especially considering it was all done _by hand_. I think even the cel painting was done manually, IIRC. Genuine artistry at work, there—moreso than in many of Disney’s recent works, which are _technically_ superior in many ways, but just don’t capture the same magic. Also, as one of my favorite websites put it, the cuteness level of Ponyo was akin to injecting Hello Kitty-brand cocaine directly into your eyeballs. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Blut\_Aus\_Nord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Blut\_Aus\_Nord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blut_Aus_Nord)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/18 "2009-08-18T22:57:16Z")
I’m actually not put off by the voice acting list. There are a few winners in there, and I’d almost always prefer dubbing for an animated feature, as reading subtitles distracts heavily from the actual animation. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/19 "2009-08-19T03:40:05Z")
> [@Blut\_Aus\_Nord](#): > > I’m actually not put off by the voice acting list. There are a few winners in there, and I’d almost always prefer dubbing for an animated feature, as reading subtitles distracts heavily from the actual animation. Oh, yes. I only support dubbing in animated movies, if it is well done. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497/20 "2009-08-19T05:30:15Z")
I think I’ll wait to rent the DVD. I love Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke too. But though I’ve seen the majority of his other movies, I haven’t liked any of them enough to watch them twice. This sounds like it’ll be like the latter group. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ponyo-anybody-seen-it-yet/506497.md?page=2)