Ponyo on a Cliff Trailer, Early Reviews
Studio Ghibli Releases Trailer For Hayao Miyazaki Film
Just before Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo on a Cliff made its Japanese debut on Friday, July 19th, Frames per Second managed to score a look at the trailer Studio Ghibli recently released for the flick.
The art (much of which was painted by Miyazaki himself) of this film is absolutely spectacular, especially the underwater scenes. Considering this is all hand-drawn cel animation, the amount of effort that went into this movie is stunning. That alone should make this a movie worth checking out, should it come to North America
Now, before you unleash the ire over the highly-annoying theme song that Ghibli tacked on the trailer, keep in mind that this ad is aimed at a very different culture than in North America. Certainly more than a few people were miffed by the questionable trailer Disney released for Ratatouille, with the reworked lyrics for Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs' "Wooly Bully." And there was definitely nothing wrong with that flick.
Certainly Ponyo on a Cliff is being hailed as another great film from one of the most beloved animation directors on IMDb. Two of Miyazaki's previous movies, 1997's Princess Mononoke and 2001's Spirited Away, are on that site's all-time Top Ten list for animated films.
Ponyo on a Cliff Early Review
Initial reviews of Ponyo on a Cliff are highly positive, saying it's another masterpiece from the anime director.
Mark Schilling of The Japan Times says that "Hayao Miyazaki . . . delivers another classic" saying the director has made an incredible leap of imagination.
"He is not just telling a story to tikes (sic)," Schilling continues, "but imaginatively becoming one himself . . . If Ponyo is the start of his artistic second childhood, I say welcome to the sandbox."
Hayao's son, director Goro Miyazaki (Tales from Earthsea), also praised the film's artistry during an interview with NTV Zoom (via Ghibliworld).
"In the scene in which a lot of jellyfish are swimming, all of them are drawn by hand," Goro said. "There aren't any the same ones. I'm afraid of its formidableness. A total over 170,000 pieces of picture were drawn for only 100 minutes of animation. The density is awesome."
Despite his admiration for his father's work, Goro still says that relations are still strained between father and son.
"His presence has not changed at all," he says. "Maybe he thinks 'I'll show you my power!'."
Ponyo on a Cliff's opening weekend compared well with Hayao Miyazaki's best-ever opening, the record-setting 30.4 billion yen earned by 2001's Spirited Away. According to Variety Japan, Ponyo on a Cliff made about 83% of that total.
According to Nausicaa.net, producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy will try to bring Ponyo on a Cliff to North America sometime in 2009.
