Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki(宫崎骏) who is famous for his insistence on planar cartoon and drawing every picture by hand.
The plot is about a mermaid, who leaves her home by accident and is rescued by a five-year-old boy who lives on the cliff by the sea. The boy thinks the fish is quite lovely and likes the fish very much. He then names her Ponyo. At the same time, her father Fujimoto is anxiously looking for his daughter. The boy is very upset when Ponyo is taken home.
Ponyo and her father have an argument when Ponyo declares that she wants be a human. With his magic, Ponyo’s father locks Ponyo in a bubble. However, Ponyo’s younger sisters who love their older sister very much, help Ponyo breaks away from her father with the absence of their father. Ponyo drinks his father’s magic water and breaks his father’s chamber, which causes an imbalance in the sea and furthermore results in terrible storm. Stepping on the waves of the sea, Ponyo happily finds the boy and his mother Lisa. Lisa leaves Ponyo and his son home hoping the storm will be over when she suddenly thinks of the residents in the nursing home and goes there to look after the old ladies.
Meanwhile, Ponyo’s parents make a decision that if Ponyo can pass a test, she can become a real human and the world order will as well be restored.
The two children decide to find Lisa after a night of good rest with Ponyo’s magic which turns a toy boat into a real one. However, after going through a tunnel Ponyo begins to lose her magic and human form. Finally, the boy and Pony get to the nursing home where the boy is asked by Pony’s mother whether he will love Ponyo even Ponyo is just a fish. The boy answers yes and kisses Ponyo on the face, then the story come to a happy ending.
Actually, this story is another version of the fairytale the little mermaid, while the two main characters in the story are much younger and the story has a happy ending.
Though this cartoon received many awards but I have to say, I was disappointed by the cartoon. The story is too childish compared with Hayao Miyazaki’s old works such as spirited away, Howl’s moving castle, which leave the viewers to think about lives and imply Hayao Miyazaki’s opinions. I really doubt how can two children who are even not old enough to enter the primary school understand love? And Pony is too self-willed who nearly destroy the world just wanting to look for the boy， can we just give a laugh and consider this kind of behavior lovely? What’s more, the test that just needs a word “yes” from a child really test the love between the two?
Anyhow， I have to appreciate Hayao Miyazaki’s hard work in this cartoon. I can see that he spent much time and energy in it in order to make sure that every action of Ponyo is lovely.
When the movie was on in Singapore,I had planned to watch it. But for some reasons, I didn't go at last.It was a little pity. In fact, I haven't watched many films of Hayao Miyazaki before, but I really enjoy the simple and pure and meticulously drawn pictures in his works. According to your depiction, I gained a general acknowledge about the main plots of the story, and I really appreciate your opinions in the last part of your passage. Sometimes people hold wrong perceptions about the so-called "romantic" and so-called "love". They take it for granted that everything is justified in the name of "love", regardless of the basic responsiblity they should take for others. Actually, such people who think they deeply understand what is love know least about what the true love is.
ReplyDeleteHoping that Hayao Miyazaki can exhibit more brilliant movies for us.
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ReplyDeleteBaoBao, please allow me to call you like that.As we are dormmates, I know a lot about you. You are a lovely person who has a lot of interesting ideas and nice hopes in your mind. You like watching different kinds of films very much. You know a lot about what is fashionable in the society. You always feel happy in the daily life. You just look like a character in the cartoon and you always look things on positive sides. What I want to say here is that I feel honored to share the same room with you.Your positive attitude always impress me a lot. Maybe next time you can share more stories with me after our study time. You know, I often enjoy your interesting stories!
ReplyDeleteI have watched the first part of this movie. I always think Hayao Miyazaki are excellent. The blue ocean, the huge lawn... every scene he portrayed seen to be so pure and peaceful. His cartoon can always remind me of something that I can't even tell, but I just feel it's so quiet, so comfortable, like the memories in my childhood. Sometimes I do not care about the plots of his cartoon. What I focus on is just his great imaginations the musics and the atmospheres. I need that kind of feeling. It provides me with a small tranquil area in my heart where I will calm down; forget the busy, noisy real world.
ReplyDeleteFrom the article you've written, I can tell that you must be a big fans for cartoon. In actually, I think the cartoon is really very good, and it can help us find some childlike appetite we may lost. And I also think that the cartoon is not only composed for children, but also can be suitable for the adults. Just like some classic cartoon your mentioned composed by Hayao Miyazaki. Occasionally, I've watch several movies composed by Hayao Miyazaki. I have to say he is so good that I can't help watching another after I wathced his movies. As you say, he work very hard and draw every picture by himself. And when I watch his movies, I was so surprised that every roles every posture was so natural and realy. And at last, I think watching some cartoon can make us relax sometimes.
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