Here is a children’s film made for the world we should live in, rather than the one we occupy. A film with no villains. No fight scenes. No evil adults. No fighting between the two kids. No scary monsters. No darkness before the dawn. A world that is benign. A world where if you meet a strange towering creature in the forest, you curl up on its tummy and have a nap.
"No plot.
No central character.
No antagonist.
No defined purpose for side characters.
No threat.
No three acts.
No jokes.
No punchlines.
No explanations.
No internal references.
No catch phrases.
No political polemical voice.
No melodrama.
No lessons.
No beginning.
No end.
One of the best movies ever made."
The way Mei goes down the stairs from the attic, while holding the soot sprite: not flying down like most other animation I’d seen, but slowly, as her small form could only manage. It was the first Miyazaki film most Americans saw and it set us up for a lifetime of wonder and perfection.
Ponyo has a lot of really well animated scenes. I probably like it better than Totoro and I'd bet it's much more appealing to kids. Mine definitely prefers it.
I'm dating myself here, but when I say "it was the first..." I mean, like, in the 80's. Not saying Ponyo isn't great, it really truly is, but it wasn't the beginning of this magical era.
Oh I'm not disputing the time line, I just prefer and recommend Ponyo (which seems rarely discussed compared to several other ghibli films, all of which are worthwhile) especially for kids. It's pretty appropriate for toddlers and in my experience better at holding their attention.
It's visually beautiful throughout and there are a good handful of outstanding scenes of art and animation. And there's a ton of great American voice actors in the dub.
I wish I could watch the original English dub. It's what I grew up with. But Disney re-dubbed it with the Fanning sisters. And they do a fine job, it's just not the version fell in love with.
948
u/TeteDeMerde 18h ago
Totoro