tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post7918969403023365410..comments2024-03-19T02:27:08.584-05:00Comments on Ghibli Blog: Studio Ghibli, Animation and the Movies: 15 More Observations About PonyoDaniel Thomas MacInneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-38015418148349314912019-06-13T06:24:25.482-05:002019-06-13T06:24:25.482-05:00Regarding point 11, am I listening to the same Eng...Regarding point 11, am I listening to the same English dub of the theme tune as everyone else? I didn't pick up on any autotune on the version I've listened to at least I found to be wonderful. Like, life-affirmingly wonderful.Anjum Ahmedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16316442686067343961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-42139155233408474232010-02-10T16:40:51.501-06:002010-02-10T16:40:51.501-06:00Thank you for your beautiful, perceptive reviews D...Thank you for your beautiful, perceptive reviews Daniel! Our 2 and a half year old loves Ponyo; we must have watched it 20 times with her and I'll never tire of it. (We have the subtitled Japanese DVD version.)<br /><br />You mentioned the gorgeous artwork: You may be interested in the high-resolution stills available here: http://www.optimumreleasing.com/press/?id=1025 They really made me reappreciate the art, especially the remarkable pastel/pencil backgrounds. (I've only seen the film on small screen so far.)francoishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12936120862819348034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-19030696231865696722009-10-02T15:22:31.446-05:002009-10-02T15:22:31.446-05:00I'm so glad to read that the Japanese movie ha...I'm so glad to read that the Japanese movie has more coherent dialog. I can't wait until I can see the DVD and hear it for myself.Jessicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00100217553806558487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-47761142758521115772009-09-01T16:18:14.737-05:002009-09-01T16:18:14.737-05:00echoBlaster said...
@Neo1024 - Yeah, it kind o...<i>echoBlaster said...<br /> @Neo1024 - Yeah, it kind of sucks that they were sent the wrong print (i'm from Norway too :)). I actually went to see it on friday when it was being screened in the original version without the subtitles. About 10 minutes into the film they stopped it for a second to explain what had happened, but they allowed us to watch it all the way through. We even got our money back :). I didn't understand much of the dialogue of course, but I could still admire the fantastic imagery nonetheless. Have you seen the Norwegian dub, by the way? If so, what are your thoughts? I for one thought it was kind of silly to change Sosuke's name to Sondre, but I guess it sort of works.</i><br /><br />Amusingly, this was how anime screenings used to be done in the US back in the good ol' 80's! In those days, the few people who know about Japanese cartoons would often do showings of movies at Sci-Fi con video rooms where they would have to stop the tape every so often to explain what was going on in the film. If you were lucky, there might have been a printed transcript of that film's plot that would be provided or even a translation of the dialogue if one was even done at all.<br /><br />Of course you didn't see those people complain at all since this was the only way anyone had ever seen this stuff at all. The days before fansubbing became possible thanks to such devices as the Amiga were trying times.Chris Sobieniakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09838106041175506925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-84993488336384743942009-09-01T05:56:18.624-05:002009-09-01T05:56:18.624-05:00@Neo1024 - Yeah, it kind of sucks that they were s...@Neo1024 - Yeah, it kind of sucks that they were sent the wrong print (i'm from Norway too :)). I actually went to see it on friday when it was being screened in the original version without the subtitles. About 10 minutes into the film they stopped it for a second to explain what had happened, but they allowed us to watch it all the way through. We even got our money back :). I didn't understand much of the dialogue of course, but I could still admire the fantastic imagery nonetheless. Have you seen the Norwegian dub, by the way? If so, what are your thoughts? I for one thought it was kind of silly to change Sosuke's name to Sondre, but I guess it sort of works.echoBlasternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-70396354663445841862009-08-31T23:09:07.837-05:002009-08-31T23:09:07.837-05:00Yeah, but that's because the music sucks and I...Yeah, but that's because the music sucks and I turned the volume off. Heh heh.Daniel Thomas MacInneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-92154705584352178162009-08-31T23:08:09.598-05:002009-08-31T23:08:09.598-05:00The On your mark videoclip really was like a silen...The On your mark videoclip really was like a silent short film... IMHO.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-90282555919921858852009-08-31T20:21:04.713-05:002009-08-31T20:21:04.713-05:00Actually, Yadosagashi, his short film for the Ghib...Actually, Yadosagashi, his short film for the Ghibli Museum, was a silent film. The "dialog" composed of actors voicing the sound effects.Daniel Thomas MacInneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-10725306904781328552009-08-31T18:07:30.107-05:002009-08-31T18:07:30.107-05:00J.R.D.S. said...
"This is what it means ...<i>J.R.D.S. said...<br /><br /> "This is what it means to look at your child and see the adult they shall one day become, and realize that day will arrive and pass in the blink of an eye."<br /><br /> See Frédéric Back's Crac ! (1981).</i><br /><br />Good example!Chris Sobieniakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09838106041175506925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-37707553973978002122009-08-31T18:06:47.327-05:002009-08-31T18:06:47.327-05:00I agree with the third observation too. I was gla...I agree with the third observation too. I was glad to see it in 35mm where I was. Wasn't sure if they were going to pull the digital stunt on me or not. Seems like the thing that's going on nowadays with most anything cinema-related where the need for a faster, easier means to distribute films have put 35mm on the road to extinction.<br /><br /><i>9) I was surprised to discover that the line about keeping the old women amused by sitting them in front of the window, spoken by an attendant at the Senior Center, does not appear in the Japanese version. Make of that what you will.<br /><br />10) Of the "new" dialog from the American version, the best one is easily that wisecrack by the old lady: "I'd let a fish lick me if it'd help my back." That gets a laugh every time.</i><br /><br />Anymore, and I'd probably think I was watching Cocoon. :-)<br /><br /><i>Has anybody figured out that Ponyo is the closest Miyazaki has come to making a silent film? Scenes like this work so perfectly without dialog, and the speech in the Japanese version is sparse, almost functional. The images and sounds dominate the conversation.</i><br /><br />It would be interesting if Miyazaki would one day do a film that used no dialogue at all, so we have to pay closer attention to those images and sounds to follow along to the story.Chris Sobieniakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09838106041175506925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-13185686137354323312009-08-31T13:59:56.113-05:002009-08-31T13:59:56.113-05:00Go ahead and post here. We might as well follow t...Go ahead and post here. We might as well follow the conversations on the most recent posts.<br /><br />Interesting ideas. This is the great thing about this artform: it allows for everyone to provide their own narratives.<br /><br />On #5, I didn't think Fujimoto was grudging anything. He seemed honestly distressed to me. After all, Toki and Sosuke needed the air bubble to breathe.<br /><br />fujimoto strikes me as more of a cranky worrywart than anything. He's disgusted with humanity in general, but on a person-to-person basis, he's quite friendly. He also carries a slightly clueless streak, which can be a bit funny - see the scene of him on land with his water pump.<br /><br />Anyway, that's my own take on things.Daniel Thomas MacInneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-34511451774884478142009-08-31T13:13:30.075-05:002009-08-31T13:13:30.075-05:00Perhaps this observation is more suited to the &qu...Perhaps this observation is more suited to the "Seperated by a Common Language" thread, but as you've noted above, this movie has many moments of non-verbal communication that lazy eyes will overlook.<br /><br />1) Another possible reason for Fujimoto to signal the Giant Squid is so it does not attack. I recently saw a show on big Humbolt Squid that are known to eat divers that fail to ape their light show.<br /><br />2) Ponyo communicating with her sisters is mostly nonverbal.<br /><br />3) Ponyo understanding that the grumpy baby is hungry.<br /><br />4) Gran Mamare (Mare is Italian for sea/ocean) reading Fujimoto's mind while calming him down.<br /><br />5) Fujimoto grudgingly calling off his servants after being persuaded by his daughters to let them take over Toki & Sosuke (& Ponyo).<br /><br />That's just a few examples of the glorious power of animation requiring no need for words.Toongirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-12787003905340425342009-08-31T13:07:01.651-05:002009-08-31T13:07:01.651-05:00I deleted this comment by accident. Dagnabbit! I...I deleted this comment by accident. Dagnabbit! I shouldn't be allowed to work the controls. Here's the full comment:<br /><br /><b>Neo1024 Said...</b><br /><br />Very informative essay - thank you! I too loved the shot #13. Miyazaki has done the first depth-of-field work in Horus in the scene, where Horus climbs up by the axe rope and finds that his axe is held by the demon.<br /><br />I write to tell you that Ponyo has had its première in Norway last Saturday. They were going to show both the Norwegian dubbed version and the original Japanese (with subs and for a limited time of two weeks). I was going to go for the latter, but it was cancelled/postponed and the copies that the theatres received did not have the subs on them! :)<br />I guess I'll wait for BluRay then...Daniel Thomas MacInneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-45923420858178530192009-08-31T13:05:50.188-05:002009-08-31T13:05:50.188-05:00I deleted this comment by accident. D'oh! I&...I deleted this comment by accident. D'oh! I'm dyslexic. Here's it is, in full:<br /><br /><b>greentea said...</b><br /><br />Nice to hear audiences are showing up and enjoying 'Ponyo'. I'll likely wait until it's on DVD to see it myself. I hope the DVD will have lots of behind-the-scenes extras, and that the English dub will be decent. I'm one of the people who prefers dubs over subs. But I'd prefer the original Japanese song over the techno-pop one.. strange that they make a repetitive, robotic-sounding song for a film that seems to focus on the sea and other natural surroundings.Daniel Thomas MacInneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-16485371007737973242009-08-31T08:44:24.224-05:002009-08-31T08:44:24.224-05:00"This is what it means to look at your child ..."This is what it means to look at your child and see the adult they shall one day become, and realize that day will arrive and pass in the blink of an eye."<br /><br />See Frédéric Back's <i><a href="http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=2518565066307198534" rel="nofollow">Crac !</a></i> (1981).J.R.D.S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07449581460363034306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-49307868503131171982009-08-31T08:24:08.731-05:002009-08-31T08:24:08.731-05:00http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/08/31/votd-ponyo-on-...http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/08/31/votd-ponyo-on-a-boat/<br /><br />I guess Ponyo has officially hit pop culture, it already has parody videos. This one is gold and very well done :)returnofthesmithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-24342414825141246572009-08-31T03:42:48.434-05:002009-08-31T03:42:48.434-05:002) Great news! Glad to read that :)
4) I'm ea...2) Great news! Glad to read that :)<br /><br />4) I'm eager to make Ponyo my first blu-ray adquisition. I read that my country (Spain) will be the first to distribute Ponyo's BR disc. Hooray!<br /><br />6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 14) That's why I never give dubbing a chance, specially oriental movies dubbing. I had once to watch Kiki's dubbed version and, boy, what a pain (why in hell did they replace the original songs?).<br /><br />12) I'm sorry to say this, but USA audiences are way too accustomed to films that tend to be over-explaining and portrait a by-numbers narrative. As you cleverly pointed out, Ponyo gets the ending it needs, as does Totoro.<br /><br />13) Miyazaki san has always been impressive at planning and staging. If you watch the pre-Ghibli TV shows you can clearly notice which episodes are directed by the sensei. They're packed with action, strong and dynamic compositions and natural sense of timing and tempo. He's technically impeccable. And yes, Ponyo's almost silent, which made the film even greater for me :)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17040418848139787666noreply@blogger.com