Studio Ponoc's New Anthology Movie: Little Heroes

Hot on the heels with their success with Mary and the Witch's Flower (a decent fantasy movie designed almost solely for Studio Ghibli fans), Studio Ponoc has announced their newest feature film project, and it is an anthology movie consisting of three short stories created by three directors.

The first story is "Kanini and Kanino" and is directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Mary, When Marnie Was There, The Secret World of Arrietty). The second story is "Samurai Eggs" and is directed by Yoshiyuki Momose (Ghiblies Episode 2, Capsule Trilogy, Ni no Kuni 2). The third story is "The Invisible Man" and is directed by Akihiko Yamashita, who has worked as an animator and character designer on Howl's Moving Castle, Arrietty, Marnie and Mary. This is his first time in the director's chair.

Little Heroes: Kani, Tamago and the Invisible Man is slated for an August release in Japan. The movie is fairly short, clocking in at under an hour, but promised a wide variety in storytelling and visual design. I have very happy memories of Ghiblies Episode 2, the 2002 Studio Ghibli anthology short film, and I hope that this movie is just as good.

I am happy to see Yonebayashi back in the director's chair again. Mary is a decent movie, but highly derivative and lacking in imagination. It felt like the animators were beating me over the head, saying "Hey, we used to work at Ghibli! Do you like Ghibli? We're just like Ghibli!" Beyond that, there just wasn't much of a movie to see. Perhaps this was necessary in order for the new animation studio to establish itself in a very crowded marketplace, and it was successful in Japan and the outside world, including an Academy Award nomination. So good for them. That said, Yonebayashi really needs to step up and deliver on those promises. I felt like Mary was a step backwards and he needs to be moving forward. I have very high hopes and expectations for "Kanini and Kanino."

I am especially happy to see Momose directing again. He was one of the strongest talents at Ghibli, and it baffles me to understand why he was never given a chance to direct a feature-length movie. He would have been a smarter choice than, say, Goro Miyazaki. But Ghibli gambled on the family name in hopes of finding a suitable successor to Hayao Miyazaki, and, well, things didn't quite go as planned. Momose was always the better talent and the artist with the greatest potential. His Capsule music video trilogy in 2005 is one of the most creative and inventive works to come from Ghibli. He most recently worked as the director of the animation scenes in the video game Ni no Kuni 2 ("Another World 2"). I expect his story to become the centerpiece of this anthology. Here is his big chance to step up.

The choice of Yamashita for the third story is very smart, demonstrating that Studio Ponoc will be expanding their roster of directors. They don't have a legendary name like Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata, so they need a solid bullpen to be successful. I'm looking forward to see what this 50-something director can bring to the table.

No doubt this movie will be picked up by GKIDS for distribution in the States sometime next year. Maybe they'll move fast and release the title late this year in order to qualify for next year's Oscars. That's the move that I would make. They need to keep Ponoc's name in the public's mind, and two nominations in two years would be very helpful. Of course, we don't realistically expect an Oscar win; the "Best Animated Feature" category is really the "Disney/Pixar" category, and nothing is going to change the minds of the Motion Picture Academy voters.

Overall, great news, can't wait. Watch this space.

Hayao Miyazaki's Boro the Caterpillar Released in Japan

On March 21, Hayao Miyazaki's newest short film premiered at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Japan. Boro the Caterpillar. With a running time of 14 minutes, Boro tells the adventures of a small caterpillar making his way in the world. Once again, the director has created a character with spark and personality, with large cartoon eyes and prickly hair that reminds me a little of Pigpen.

Early reports indicated that this would be a CG animated short, which turned many heads in the West, as the famously stubborn Miyazaki clings to traditional hand-drawn animation, resisting the modern obsession with computer animation. Any expectations that Ghibli would turn into "the Pixar of the East" (to coin a phrase) has been dashed, as this movie was, thankfully, created in the classical style (presumably with CG in a Ghibli-standard supporting role). Thank Heavens for that. There is an expressiveness to hand-drawn art that computer software tools cannot match.

Obviously, as this is a Ghibli Museum short film, there are no plans to show this movie outside of Japan. Miyazaki has always insisted that movies created specifically for the museum shall stay there, and be free of overt commercialism. I would like to imagine a touring collection of these shorts in children's museums around the world, much like the traveling Totoro exhibition over a decade ago. It's not likely to ever happen, but it would be very nice.

It's great to see Miyazaki back in the director's chair after his latest "retirement" in 2013. Age has no doubt slowed him down, but his talents and his mind remain as sharp as ever. Let's hope that he is able to complete his upcoming feature film, which is expected to be completed in two to three years.

GKIDS Ghibli Fest 2018 Schedule

US animation movie distributor GKIDS returns once again with Ghibli Fest 2018, a year-long retrospective of Studio Ghibli movies in theaters. Films will be shown in both English (dub) and Japanese (subtitled) soundtracks and will be screened at theaters nationwide, courtesy of Fathom Events.

To purchase tickets online, visit the Fathom Events website.

Here is the official schedule for Ghibli Fest 2018. Be sure to bookmark this post for future references:

Ponyo
March 25, 26 and 28

The Cat Returns
April 22, 23 and 25

Porco Rosso
May 20, 21 and 23

Pom Poko
June 17, 18 and 20

Princess Mononoke
July 22, 23 and 25

Grave of the Fireflies
August 12, 13 and 15

My Neighbor Totoro
September 30, October 1 and 3

Spirited Away
October 28, 29 and 30

Castle in the Sky
November 18, 19 and 20

Simpsons "Stemed Hams" Parodies

 

The internet was created with the intention of collecting the world's total knowledge into one vast, infinite library, where thinkers and scholars and artists could create freely and contemplate the universe. Instead, we just wasted out time by watching a bunch of silly parody videos.

Here are a couple wildly funny video spoofs of the "steamed hams" bit from The Simpsons. I'm sure you've seen this episode a hundred times, it's a comedy classic with Principle Skinner and "Super Nintendo" Chalmers. The first video fuses voice clips to the climactic battle in Nintendo's Super Mario World, and it works surprisingly well. The second video is a mashup of audiovisual clips that parodies Gorillaz, which is something of a semi-parody musical act. I really enjoy this one, as it reminds me of the wave of "YouTube Poop" videos that exploded across computer screens in 2008. Are we now seeing the next generation of those spoofs?

I have no idea why the kids have glued onto "Steamed Hams" as much as they have, but I'm glad they did. What do I know? I'm a rapidly aging Generation X'er who's still running a weblog like it's still 2005. Does anyone even know what a "blog" is anymore? I'm the last of the dinosaurs.

Mousterpiece Cinema and Ghibli Blog Discuss Tales From Earthsea

Mousterpiece Cinema: Tales From Earthsea

This Saturday, the newest episode of the Mousterpiece Cinema podcast was released to the public. It is devoted to the 2006 Studio Ghibli movie, Tales From Earthsea, and features yours truly as the special guest. On this show, we discuss various topics, including the plot and characters, the relations between the movie and Ursula K. Le Guin's fantasy novels, and the family melodrama that was unraveling behind the scenes at Studio Ghibli.

I like to think that Tales From Earthsea is a movie where Goro Miyazaki openly fantasizes about killing his father, then is cursed to walk through the endless landscapes of his late father's own creations. He is trapped in a Purgatory of sorts, reenacting scenes from Horus, Prince of the Sun, Puss in Boots, Heidi, Girl of the Alps, Future Boy Conan, The Journey of Shuna, and Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind.

For all of the movies faults, and we all agree that this movie is loaded with them, there are some positive qualities. We must also remember that the director was working on his very first movie, with zero experience in animation or filmmaking. Putting Goro-san into the captain's chair was a big gamble, one that, ultimately, didn't quite pan out. But that story has yet to be fully written.

Click on the link above to listen to the podcast episode. You can also download from Apple iTunes. Be sure to post a positive review on the Apple page as well, as that helps support these shows.

Gauche the Cellist and Mastery in Adaptation

YouTube user Kenji the Engi presents this excellent video essay on Isao Takahata's 1982 masterpiece Gauche the Cellist, describing this movie's adaptation from a poem by famed Japanese author Kenji Miyazawa. He comments on many of the scenes, story elements and animation techniques, providing the perfect introduction to this great movie.

I often pester GKIDS to pick up Gauche the Cellist for release in the US. Studio Ghibli and animation fans everywhere would love this movie, if they were only given the chance. For now, you can import the movie from Japan on DVD and Blu-Ray (released on the Ghibli ga Ippai label with English subtitles). It is also available on the Isao Takahata Blu-Ray box set, which for the moment is still exclusive to Japan.

This movie comes highly, highly recommended. See it by any means necessary.

GKIDS Brings Mind Game in US Theaters

Masaaki Yuasa is one of the most talented and exciting animation movie directors anywhere in the world. His style effortlessly blends Japanese pop culture, manga and anime with the surreal Western cartoon style of Tex Avery or John Kricfalusi, then hurled into a blender with Andy Warhol pop art and Frederico Fellini surrealism. As far as I'm concerned, he's the best "unknown" filmmaker in the world.

His 2004 feature film Mind Game has endured as a cult classic, but its unique quirkiness has kept it out of the mainstream, and it remains somewhat obscure even among the anime diehards. Now GKIDS has finally brought this great movie to our shores, with a limited US theatrical run to be followed by a Blu-Ray/DVD release. Most likely, the movie has already come and gone from your city, so we'll have to wait for its arrival on home video. Start saving your pennies today.

Kudos to GKIDS, as always, for their dedication to global animated movies that continue to push the boundaries of the medium and preserve the classic tradition of hand-drawn art.

Here is the US trailer, which is more or less identical to the 2004 Japanese version. Enjoy:

Everyone Gets the Animated Features They Deserve

"Every nation gets the government it deserves." This can also be said of animated feature films. The Emoji Movie is cynical, formulaic, dim-witted, cliched and generally terrible. It was recently awarded "Worst Movie" at this year's Razzie Awards. And yet, it still managed to earn $200 million at the box office and earn a "B" grade from audiences.

Yes, those are poor numbers compared to most animated features. Compared to, say, the Studio Ghibli movies, well...Hayao Miyazaki's last feature, The Wind Rises, earned a paltry $5 million dollars in US theaters. A two-time Academy Award winner and animation legend couldn't pull in more than The Emoji Movie made at the popcorn stand.

Just look at that screenshot. Even those stupid smiley faces are depressed about being in this dumb cartoon. They're probably a little shocked at the critical drubbing they've received as well. Let's be completely honest here. The Emoji Movie isn't really any worse than most animated features to come through the studio system in recent years. The plot, the characters, the casting, the pop culture riffs, the loud action scenes, the "pweachy mowal wesson", the formulaic happy ending -- it's all the same.

Oh, and were you aware that Masaaki Yuasa's visual masterpiece Mind Game is playing in select US theaters? It's box office return so far: $7,586.00. That's not a typo.

If you want better movies, then you're going to have to support better movies. Better options are readily available, but only if you bother to show up. If you choose instead to sit on your hands and stay home, only going out to sleepwalk into the latest formulaic animated cartoon that's identical to the last twenty animated cartoons...well, don't be surprised if "Emoji Movie 2" gets the green light. Expect to see the teaser trailer at the beginning of "Angry Birds Movie 2".

Mimi Wo Sumaseba (Whisper of the Heart) Smartphone Wallpapers

This is just too cool to pass up. The ever-reliable Ghibli Collector has captured this series of pan shots from the 1995 Studio Ghibli movie Mimi Wo Sumaseba (aka Whisper in the Heart in the West) for use as smartphone wallpapers. Each of these are taken directly from the movie and look absolutely sensational. In order to use these, click on the photo and download the full-size version.

As always, I am reminded of the brilliant art design of Ghibli's illustrators and artists, who create a romanticized version of Tokyo's Tama Hills. All of the locations in Mimi exist in real life, and after the movie was released to theaters, one could follow local tour guides on a sightseeing spree of all your favorite scenes. It's this dedication to realism and naturalism that sets Studio Ghibli apart from so many other animation studios. In the West, such a concept barely even exists.

But, to be fair, we do have The Emoji Movie, The Angry Birds Movie, Cars 3, Peter Rabbit and Sherlock Gnomes. So...yeah. Take that, Japan.

I have to go now, my planet needs me.

Photos: Umi Ga Kikoeru (I Can Hear the Sea/Ocean Waves)

Here is a sampling of wonderfully crafted background illustrations as seen in the 1993 Studio Ghibli production Umi ga Kikoeru (aka Ocean Waves in the West). I loved this movie when I first discovered it many years ago, and time has taken away none of its luster. I wish Western animation could break free of its "babysitter" mindset and create works such as this.

The background illustrations are drawn with a fine sense of detail, and a great sense of realism that is only slightly enhanced by the color palette. It looks so much like a collection of romanticized photographs, and it fits the story's themes of lost loves and nostalgic reunions. This also matches very closely the visual style of Japanese manga comics, which has always exerted a great influence on animators.

These screenshots come from our friends at Ghibli Collector, a Tumblr art site that features all sorts of impressive photos and illustrations from the Ghibli movies. I highly recommend visiting and sharing with family and friends.