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2009-10-30

The Blu-Ray Blog Gets the Scoop on Ponyo

I just wanted to give a shout-out to The Blu-Ray Blog, for breaking the latest scoop on Ponyo's US DVD and Blu-Ray releases.  You can read their Ponyo post here.  Great work, guys!

Hmm...looking closer at the DVD + plush package, I'm noticing that the DVD name-drops Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid."  Interesting.  You always have to do this sort of thing with Americans, in order to get them to try something new.  If it works, it works.  I think the stuffed Ponyo will help sell the movie more than anything.

6 comments:

greentea said...

A 'fabulous journey into Ghibli' will be included, but not the 'making of' documentary for DVD or Bluray?

(Sigh) Why do they have to wait till MARCH to release Ponyo? They're not making Ponyo games to play on the DVD are they? Or adding a music video of the techno song, with the wannabee kid stars singing it?

..Is it a bad sign if I can actually imagine them doing that?

Chris Sobieniak said...

Who knows what they're doing on these discs.

The Little Mermaid alone is cringeworthy for me, but I'll have to let it slide for now.

Sean L. said...

Sorry, but the reference to the Little Mermaid makes me mad. I hate that it's used in synopses and critics' reviews and everything--and now this. Why, why, why?
Can I throw this question out there: Did Miyazaki-san ever actually say he was directly inspired by that story?
Ponyo only bares the vaguest resemblence anyway. It just seems silly. Like you said, "You always have to do this sort of thing with Americans, in order to get them to try something new." But the thing is, it just doesn't work consistently anyway.
Well, guess there's nothing we can do about it. I just want to buy the damn DVD, haha.

Anonymous said...

Name-dropping *Andersen's* 'Little Mermaid' seems to me completely legitimate. Miyazaki has never operated in a cultural vacuum, and I doubt he'd deny being somewhat inspired by the tale, just as there are certain similiarities between CHIHIRO and 'Alice in Wonderland.' They're not adaptations, of course (hell, even HOWL, which is technically supposed to be an adaptation, isn't much of one), but that's not what the DVD set claims, anyway.

Note that it doesn't say anywhere that Miyazaki was inspired by the late-80ies Disney movie of the same name (which, incidentally, also doesn't really have a whole lot to do with the original tale).

Anonymous said...

i want the gift Daniii
hehehe

C. McKane said...

I wish I could watch it again right now, March seems an awful long time to wait. But I am pumped to get the doll :).

I was looking for some Ghibli merch at H Mart a few weeks ago. There was Totoro but no Ponyo like I was hoping.

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