Review of Ponyo (2008) by Neilr — 15 Aug 2009

Miyazaki's genius reached its height in SPIRITED AWAY. Unfortunately, this was also the stage at which The Disney Company became more involved in Studio Ghibli. Sadly, nothing from Miyazaki has been the same ever since -- not the artistry, characterization, story-lines or philosophy.

Luckily Joe Hisaishi still holds up his end with a brilliant score that falters only with the film's horrific end-title music. The song "Ponyo" might give a shark heartburn. PONYO is earnest and very pretty, but too predictable in its plot and too random in its attention to detail to satisfy this viewer.

Great studios sometimes bring masterworks to Disney. Too often, today's Disney dumbs 'em down, as it did so well with its awful adaptation of clips from PLANET EARTH, titled only -- EARTH. To be fair, Miyazki has the right to craft a film exclusively for children, however, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO did just that --with artistry and reasonable sophistication.

A mediocre film from a master makes one feel cheated, for it is the filmmaker who teaches and engages the audience. The market should never, ever drive= a great filmmaker's choices. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened with PONYO.