Ponyo Review

I am a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s films, and last summer while on vacation I got to see him speak at the Center for Japanese Studies at UC Berkeley, and attend a sneak peak of Ponyo. Ever since then, I’ve been dying to have it on Blu-ray. Thankfully, it doesn’t dissapoint. It is honestly one of the most visually amazing Blu-rays I’ve ever seen.

The Movie

Ponyo isn’t your typical Miyazaki film (if there is such a thing). It has a simple, child-like feeling to it, and feels more like a fairy tale than any of his previous movies have. The backgrounds look as if they’ve been done in colored pencils and the screen bursts with primary colors.

Ponyo is a goldfish who wants to be human, especially after falling in love with a five-year old boy named Sosuke. She is the daughter of a powerful wizard and a sea goddess, and her interest in humans creates a dangerous storm that threatens the village where Sosuke’s family lives. His mother has to venture out to help some stranded seniors at the care center she works at, leaving Ponyo and Sosuke to save the day while Ponyo’s father tries to get her back.

Oh, and there are lots of jokes about ham.

Ponyo may seem geared towards a younger crowd than Princess Mononoke or Nausicaä, but it is a great film and I highly recommend it.

Presentation

Ponyo looks fantastic on Blu-ray. The beautiful backgrounds and animation look great in high definition. The audio sounds great too, but like I’ve mentioned before, I don’t have the best sound setup yet.

Special Features

I really wasn’t expecting much in terms of special features on this Blu-ray, but they included quite a bit! When you navigate to the special features section of the menu, you’re given two choices, but they lead to many featturettes and behind the scenes clips. Disney put some love into this release, and recorded nice HD interviews with Miyazaki.

There is even a section about his other films containing interviews. That really made me wonder why Disney didn’t go ahead and release his other great films on Blu-ray instead of coming out with new DVDs. Hopefully, that will mean better transfers when they finally do arrive.

There are features on everything from the characters, to the voice acting, music, and story. I would have bought Ponyo on Blu-ray if it only contained the film, so all the bonus features was a pleasant surprise.

The Verdict

I’m glad Ponyo got a Blu-ray release as good as the film, and that is about as high of a recommendation I could possibly make. If you liked the film, pick it up, and if you missed it in theaters, you won’t be disappointed.