My take on these movies: Omohide Poroporo (Only Yesterday) is one of my favorite movies. It is overflowing with nostalgia and it is a more realistic movie than most of the fantasy stuff the studio does. I'd say it is the most "grown up" of all Studio Ghibli's works. My neighbors the Yamadas is pretty cute and funny. It's a little like Sazae-san, in that it is a slice of life about a Japanese family doing stuff. Ocean Waves is a made for TV movie and plays as such. I think it is the weakest movie, until Earthsea came along. Not bad, just kind of boring and I remember not liking the characters all that much. Howl is a beautiful mess. There are so many cool ideas and images in there, but it is a little mixed up plot wise. Fans of the book, like myself, will be slightly disappointed in the less than faithful adaptation. It did have the "Howl expresses his feelings with green slime" scene from the book, which I always found delightful, and Howl himself is one of the most attractive men in animation. (I love when he comes in late at night, and he is still covered in feathers from being a bird) Ponyo is a little nonsensical, but totally sweet and enjoyable. I liked it a ton. It makes me sad when I think about the tsunami, though. That's the kind of town that got hit.
Howl is a beautiful mess. There are so many cool ideas and images in there, but it is a little mixed up plot wise. Fans of the book, like myself, will be slightly disappointed in the less than faithful adaptation. It did have the "Howl expresses his feelings with green slime" scene from the book, which I always found delightful, and Howl himself is one of the most attractive men in animation.
I've seen it now. I haven't read the book, so that wasn't a problem for me, but the ending simply did not work for me. I rather enjoyed most of the movie, but the ending failed to really grab me emotionally, and the plot wrap-up felt contrived.
Thanks for the summaries, Emily. I'll probably watch Only Yesterday and My Neighbors the Yamadas after Ponyo.
Totally watch Porco Rosso in the Theater. I saw it on the big screen during the NY Children's Film Festival, and it was well worth a ticket just for those flying scenes.
Only Yesterday is quite slow, but it is a very good movie that always brings a tear to my eyes at the end.
Even though this is relatively old news, it seems relative since it will be released by Disney in a year or so. Goro Miyazaki has a new movie...and it actually looks really good.
As much as I despised Tales from Earthsea, I'm willing to give Goro another chance for one reason. Tales from Earthsea was his first directorial effort and you can't expect somebody's first time up at bat to be a success (there are some exceptions but those are few and far between); besides I'm sure he learned a hell of a lot after that experience...so hey knock on wood. Also, this appears to have shades of Only Yesterday, which is my favorite Ghibli film, and that factor is enough for me to see it (whether it ends up being true or not...only time will tell).
I really hope From Up On Poppy Hill is really good...because it means that Studio Ghibli won't disappear when Takahata or Miyazaki kick the bucket...and by that I mean that Studio Ghibli will, hopefully, be in good hands.
I believe Poppy Hill was a more faithful adaptation of the source material, a comic about kids in Yokohama in the 1960's. I think part of his problem with Earthsea was he tried to put too much into the story without any idea of how to pace it or manage it and so it became a muddled, boring mess (albeit a pretty one.) GKids (the New York Children's Film Festival) has theatrical rights and is going to release it March of next year. I really like NYCFF and I really hope they get that new Mamoru Hosoda adorable werewolf babies movie for the next festival.
Ghibli doing the Princess Kaguya legend should be very interesting.
Especially considering Takahata will be doing it, who hasn't had a movie since My Neighbors the Yamadas (which is a B tier Studio Ghibli film in my opinion).
Since this is more or less the Ghibli thread: I watched My Neighbors the Yamadas today for the first time. The film is kind of weird. I didn't know anything about the film before, except that it was a Ghibli film and that it was by Takahata rather than Miyazaki.
And I have to say I enjoyed it. It's strange because it's a Ghibli film and not really a Ghibli film at the same time. It features a completely different structure, art style, narrative, genre and completely different themes from pretty much any other Ghibli film. However, you could still see the care and of course the production value that Ghibli brings with it. And some of the animation flourishes they put in there are very, very nice.
It may not stack up to Grave of the Fireflies and some of the other absolute gems in the Ghibli family tree, but it is still one of the better animated movies out there.
Since we're on the topic, I also watched From Up On Poppy Hill recently, yesterday actually, and it was also very, very good. Definitely recommended, though I don't think I can add much to Rym's recent GeekByte of the film.
I had a guy tell me once that I'm not a true Miyazaki fan, I'm just a Hayao Miyazaki fan. He, on the other hand, was a true Miyazaki fan because he liked both Hayao and Goro Miyazaki's works. He then went on to tell me how great Tales from Earthsea was, repeatedly, over and over again.
That being said, I've recently seen Grave of the Fireflies, which truly is a work of art. It's one of the few movies that I've nearly cried watching.
I don't think they have any other directors to carry them. I mean, Takahata only has one or two more movies in him. As a pissed-on obelisk once asked: who's next?
I would not doubt that he is still going to have his fingers in many of the Ghibli pies for a while yet, even if he's not officially the main director of anything. They only said he was retiring from making features, not from shorts or from doing creative consultation (read: backseat directing other people's movies).
Comments
Omohide Poroporo (Only Yesterday) is one of my favorite movies. It is overflowing with nostalgia and it is a more realistic movie than most of the fantasy stuff the studio does. I'd say it is the most "grown up" of all Studio Ghibli's works.
My neighbors the Yamadas is pretty cute and funny. It's a little like Sazae-san, in that it is a slice of life about a Japanese family doing stuff.
Ocean Waves is a made for TV movie and plays as such. I think it is the weakest movie, until Earthsea came along. Not bad, just kind of boring and I remember not liking the characters all that much.
Howl is a beautiful mess. There are so many cool ideas and images in there, but it is a little mixed up plot wise. Fans of the book, like myself, will be slightly disappointed in the less than faithful adaptation. It did have the "Howl expresses his feelings with green slime" scene from the book, which I always found delightful, and Howl himself is one of the most attractive men in animation. (I love when he comes in late at night, and he is still covered in feathers from being a bird)
Ponyo is a little nonsensical, but totally sweet and enjoyable. I liked it a ton. It makes me sad when I think about the tsunami, though. That's the kind of town that got hit.
PONYO!!!
Thanks for the summaries, Emily. I'll probably watch Only Yesterday and My Neighbors the Yamadas after Ponyo.
For those in Washington, SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival) is doing a line up of Ghibli movies.
My friends and I will be going on the 27th to watch Only Yesterday and Ocean Waves.
Only Yesterday is quite slow, but it is a very good movie that always brings a tear to my eyes at the end.
As much as I despised Tales from Earthsea, I'm willing to give Goro another chance for one reason. Tales from Earthsea was his first directorial effort and you can't expect somebody's first time up at bat to be a success (there are some exceptions but those are few and far between); besides I'm sure he learned a hell of a lot after that experience...so hey knock on wood. Also, this appears to have shades of Only Yesterday, which is my favorite Ghibli film, and that factor is enough for me to see it (whether it ends up being true or not...only time will tell).
GKids (the New York Children's Film Festival) has theatrical rights and is going to release it March of next year. I really like NYCFF and I really hope they get that new Mamoru Hosoda adorable werewolf babies movie for the next festival.
Hooray!
I watched My Neighbors the Yamadas today for the first time. The film is kind of weird. I didn't know anything about the film before, except that it was a Ghibli film and that it was by Takahata rather than Miyazaki.
And I have to say I enjoyed it. It's strange because it's a Ghibli film and not really a Ghibli film at the same time. It features a completely different structure, art style, narrative, genre and completely different themes from pretty much any other Ghibli film. However, you could still see the care and of course the production value that Ghibli brings with it. And some of the animation flourishes they put in there are very, very nice.
It may not stack up to Grave of the Fireflies and some of the other absolute gems in the Ghibli family tree, but it is still one of the better animated movies out there.
Since we're on the topic, I also watched From Up On Poppy Hill recently, yesterday actually, and it was also very, very good. Definitely recommended, though I don't think I can add much to Rym's recent GeekByte of the film.
That being said, I've recently seen Grave of the Fireflies, which truly is a work of art. It's one of the few movies that I've nearly cried watching.