Story and movie picture from Telegraph.co.uk
Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animation is a visual treat, says David Gritten
It’s a rare animator who can produce work that regularly stands comparison with the world’s best directors at a major European film festival. But the Japanese animation genius Hayao Miyazaki, a legend and a household name in his own country, is such a man.
He gave us the delightful Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle; his new film, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, is, like those others, a children’s entertainment, this time loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid.
It is the story of Ponyo, an appealing little goldfish, who longs to become human after she meets Sosuke, a five year old boy: he rescues her after she becomes stuck in a jam jar.
But Miyazaki embellishes Andersen’s tale, creating a story that incorporates a lovely relationship between Sosuke and his mother Lisa, and touches on childhood fears about loss, separation and mortality, as well as environmental concerns.
As we have come to expect, his hand-painted images are exquisite, and the film is a visual treat. Shapes shift, objects and characters assume new forms; breathtakingly, Ponyo’s goldfish sisters become crashing, fish-shaped waves.
The draughtsmanship is jaw-dropping, and Miyzaki’s ability to expressd extremes of emotion in nhis child characters weithout resorting to sentimentality or treacly music is remarkable.
If Miyazaki were to win The Golden Lion for this animated classic, it would be a surprise — but not a huge one.
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