The Film
Don't expect The Little Mermaid part two, but Ponyo is another Disney outing that is based on the Hans Christian Andersen tale.
There are no songs, but there is plenty of magic. After all, a little fish turning into a girl isn't really part of evolution at work. However, a girl knows what she wants, and in this case, she wants a little boy named Sosuke (voiced by Frankie Jonas). When Sosuke finds a fish, he names her Ponyo. However, she isn't any fish, she's actually a goldfish princess, who wants to be human. Don't we all?
Well, Ponyo's wish is more powerful than most others are, and she soon sprouts hands, feet and a variety of spells. In between her transformation, the town is dealing with a tsunami looming, which may be a bit too heavy for younger viewers.
We love Pixar and all of its cinematic efforts. However, they have really tainted all other animation -- especially when it comes to the big screen. If you are expecting the kiddos to sit through Ponyo with wonder and wide smiles, think again. That said, this is an amazing visual treat. It should be too, because Wikipedia says that 170,000 separate images were hand-drawn to create Ponyo. We are happy to report that Disney may have Americanized the voice track, but they didn't mess with Miyazaki's imagery. This 1.85:1 transfer beautifully captures all of that hard handiwork, showing off very detailed, interesting animation. The entire film has a wide, bright color palette, which is nothing short of beautiful.
The Sound
Disney brought in a lot of big names to Americanize Ponyo. Sure, we love Tina Fey and Matt Damon and even Betty White. However, there is something weird about having all of these celebs do the voiceover work. As we mentioned before, none of the accents seem to match the character names, choice phrases or the film's backdrop. However, Disney gave the American version the standout DTS-HD Master Audio track, while sticking the more enjoyable and authentic Japanese track with good old Dolby Digital 5.1. That said, neither track is horrible from an audio standpoint. For the DTS-HD track, dialogue was crystal clear and the soundfield was filled with plenty of goodies to match the action on-screen. It just would have been nice if Disney had given the Japanese track the same stellar treatment.
The Extras
Disney went with quality over quantity on this release. There is a quickie intro with producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy and an option to watch the film with picture-in-picture storyboards. However, "The World of Ghibli" is the real wonder here. Under that heading, you'll find two separate features. The first, titled "Behind the Studio," is actually nine short featurettes covering everything about the production, from its creation to the locations and voices. "Enter the Lands" lets viewers explore the worlds (and trailers) of Ponyo, as well as director Hayao Miyazaki's other works, Kiki's Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky and My Neighbor Totoro. Obvious omissions include the popular Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, but this interactive map is a pretty nifty way to present what is basically a collection of movie previews.
Final Thoughts
Disney never seems to disappoint, and Ponyo is no exception. While some of the heavy parts may not keep short-attention spans entertained (or maybe just prompt a ton of questions), Ponyo is an extremely sweet story that's a visual treat for all ages.
Product Details
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