Last night we took The Bean out to see a movie- at the dollar theater. I thought that we would try Ponyo. Leslie and I are huge fans of Studio Gibli and Miyazaki so I knew that one way or another this would be a success. If you have never watched one of these films, like Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away- and you have kids- you really should. Miyazaki makes these crazy little Japanamation movies that are sublimely strange and iridescent and full of these odd characters and moments. I just love them but they are not your Disney or Pixar fare- you have to just go along with the story and the very Japanese feel of these.
I was expecting a wacky little film about a fish falling in love. What we got was a quirky little story about family and love and choosing to be there for the people in your life. Full of Miyazaki's general weirdness (good weird not bad weird) and terrific animation. The movie starts out with this man (looks like a witch at first but turns out to be a wizard) under the sea in a very Jules Verne-ian like submarine sort of communing with the sea. Then we see Ponyo, a little girl goldfish with a quasi human face. Ponyo falls asleep on top of a jelly fish and floats up out of her Father's realm. She ends up in a coastal town, trapped in a glass jar that is part of the pollution the humans have created. She is saved by a boy.
It's the boy who names her Ponyo and he takes care of her and loves her - until her Father takes her back to the deep ocean. Ponyo loves the boy and wants to be human. This is where you find out that she is magic and has a Goddess for a Mother. Ponyo causes a bit of magical mayhem and turns herself into a little girl and runs away on the backs of huge ocean fish to be with the boy. Eventually the children are tested to see if they want to be together and the boy's mother, reaches up to the Goddess and promises to take care of Ponyo.
This was a wonderful movie- filled with very real and loving family moments. There was some translation issues with it though, it was advertised as a sort of "love story" and it was that but not love love- family love. Ponyo just wants to be with this family, she wants to be like them, experience her life with them. They all choose each other. There is the scene when they have to choose each other and the boy says "oh yes I know it's a big responsibility but I love her and I will help take care of her"
I try not to make every thing we experience about adoption. But it was sort of hard to ignore the implications in this movie. I loved that Ponyo made the choice. I love that there was a promise between the two Mothers. I loved that the boy always recognized the similarity in himself and that crazy little fish. I loved that these things were there but not shoved down your throat. Most of all I loved that Ev loved it.
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