Topic: dfmorgan's Studio Ghibli Marathon

[dfmorgan]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Pom Poko
Original Title: Heisei tanuki gassen pompoko
Year: 1994
Director: Isao Takahata
Rating: PG
Length: 119 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Kokontei Shinchou
Makoto Nonomura
Takehiro Murata
Shigeru Izumiya
Nijiko Kiyokawa

Plot:
Pom Poko is a tale of the clash between modern civilization and the natural world.

The Raccoons of the Tama Hills are being forced from their homes by the rapid development of houses and shopping malls. As it becomes harder to find food and shelter, they decide to band together and fight back. The Raccoons practice and perfect the ancient art of transformation until they are even able to appear as humans.

In often hilarious ways, the Raccoons use their powers to try to scare off the advancement of civilization. But will it be enough? Or will the Raccoons learn how to live in balance with the modern world?

Celebrate the magic of the forest and the beauty of the creatures who live among us in Pom Poko — on DVD for the first time ever.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Gallery
Storyboard Comparisons
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Although not a Hayao Miyazaki film this has the environment and ecology at its heart. Expansion of Tokyo is having an adverse affect on the woods, forests and hills surrounding the city. Although all creatures are affected by the changes none are hit more than the tanuki or raccoons as Disney called them, the Japanese actually call the tanuki raccoon dogs. The raccoons used to live harmoniously with the farmers and villagers keeping pests down and eating up scraps but the incursion of the city has caused the locals to leave and the animals to fight over what scraps can be had. The raccoons revive the the art of transformation so that they can become goblins and beasties to haunt the sites. They also pass themselves of as humans and effect damage to the construction sites. Everything seems to come to naught though when following one of their biggest hauntings an amusemnet park owner claims the credit. Will the raccoons recover from this setback? Yes and no is the answer.

A piece of minor background to the Disney version of this film. Back in my review of Only Yesterday I said that Disney were informed by Studio Ghibli that they were allowed to change the wording of the films providing that they kept to the meaning behind them. This film contains a major rewording that upset some hardcore anime fans. In the Japanese language and also within the English subtitles references are made to testicles but in the English language and Hard of Hearing captions the testicle references are changed to pouches.

A very enjoyable film again from Studio Ghibli and a 4

[dfmorgan]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Whisper of the Heart
Original Title: Mimi wo Sumaseba
Year: 1995
Director: Yoshifumi Kondo
Rating: G
Length: 111 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Japanese: Dolby Digital: 5.1
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Youko Honna
Kazuo Takahashi
Takashi Tachibana
Shigeru Muroi

Plot:
From the creators of the Academy Award®- winning Spirited Away (Best Animated Feature Film, 2002) comes a tale based on the screenplay from the legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki.

During summer vacation, a schoolgirl named Shizuku, who longs to discover her true talents, observes an ordinary-looking cat riding by himself on the train. Intrigued, she decides to follow him. This chance encounter leads her to the mysterious Seiji, a boy who is determined to follow his dreams, and The Baron, a magical cat figurine who helps her listen to the whispers in her heart. Soon, Shizuku's exciting adventures carry her far beyond the boundaries of her imagination.

Featuring extraordinary storytelling, enchanting animation, and an all-star voice cast, this 2-Disc Set will inspire dreams and warm hearts of all ages.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Featurettes
Storyboard Comparisons
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

I had forgotten what a gloriously gentle romance this film was until I rewatched it this afternoon. Whilst Hayao Miyazaki produced and wrote the screenplay for this there are aspects that show that he didn't have a hand in the drawing, the main one being the wind and its effects. In this film the wind does ripple the characters clothing and hair but only on few occasions did it cause ripples in the background trees, grasses, flowers or waters. However that does not detract from the fact that I think this is a wonderful film. The film starts with Olive Neutron Bomb Olivia Newton-John singing "Take Me Home, Country Roads" which Shizuku, a junior/high school teenager, is translating for her best friend Yuko. Shizuku likes to read books and is intrigued when she notices that all the books she has recently read were also borrowed by the same person Seiji Amasawa. On a journey to the library she notices a cat on the train and so starts an adventure as she follows the cat to an old shop. Part of this adventure involves Shizuku finding herself and another part is for these young teens finding love. I said it in my first sentence and I'll say it again here, a glorious film with a gentle romance.

A wonderful 5 from me

[Najemikon]

The film starts with Olive Neutron Bomb Olivia Newton-John singing "Take Me Home...

  That never gets old!

[dfmorgan]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Princess Mononoke
Original Title: Mononoke-Hime
Year: 1997
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Rating: PG-13
Length: 134 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Japanese: Dolby Digital: 5.1
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Yoji Matsuda
Yuriko Ishida
Yuko Tanaka
Kaoru Kobayashi
Masahiko Nishimura

Plot:
Claire Danes (The Mod Squad), Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting) and Billy Bob Thornton (Armageddon, Sling Blade) head a cast of hot Hollywood stars who lend their talents to this exquisitely animated, overwhelmingly acclaimed adventure epic! Inflicted with a deadly curse, a young warrior named Ashitaka (Billy Crudup – Without Limits) sets out to the forests of the west in search of the cure that will save his life. Once there, he becomes inextricably entangled in a bitter battle that matches Lady Eboshi (Driver) and a proud clan of humans against the forest's animal gods... who are led by the brave Princess Mononoke (Danes), a young woman raised by wolves! Also starring Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) and Jada Pinkett Smith (Scream 2), this monumental struggle between man and nature will have you transfixed with amazement as stunning artistry blends with epic storytelling to create a uniquely entertaining motion picture!

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Closed Captioned
Literal translation subtitles, Closed Captioning subtitles

My Thoughts:

Ashitaka, a warrior prince, is infected by a curse when he battles a demon heading towards his village. The demon turns out to be a Boar God from the forests of the West and Ashitaka decides to travel to the forests to find what caused the boar to become a demon. During his travels he meets a wandering priest who helps him in buying some food and they share a meal that evening. On the following day Ashitaka rescues two men from a river and whilst by the riverside he sees a young woman and some wolves. Ashitaka takes the men he rescued back to their home, Iron Town, via the forest. Upon arrival at Iron Town he finds the cause of the boar's curse as the town is set up to manufacture iron and guns. The town is using all the local resources in this process and the various Gods are trying to stop the desecration. The young woman, that Ashitaka saw earlier, attracks the town but Ashitaka intervenes and takes her away from the town. Ashitaka and the young woman have to put aside their differences and try to repair the damage done, especially as the wandering priest reappears and has an ulterior motive in trying to kill the Forest Spirit.

A wonderful film from Hayao Miyazaki. A film again about the environment and ecology. Many of the Miyazaki trademarks I have mentioned in earlier Studio Ghibli reviews are here in this film.

One of my favourites a 5

Dave

[Najemikon]

I know this had a big name American voice cast, but I much prefer the originals and it became one of my favourites too...

[Antares]

Although Anime is not my cup of tea, I've added this to my library queue.

[dfmorgan]

Although Anime is not my cup of tea, I've added this to my library queue.

I hope you do like this. I like it more than Spirited Away which I think was one you tried earlier. The story I feel is more cohesive and less mystical.

Dave

[dfmorgan]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: My Neighbours The Yamadas
Original Title: Houhokekyo tonari no Yamada-kun
Year: 1999
Director: Isao Takahata
Rating: PG
Length: 104 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Japanese: Dolby Digital: 5.1
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Yukiji Asaoka
Toru Masuoka
Masako Araki
Hayato Isohata
Naomi Uno

Plot:
Join in the adventures of the quirky Yamada family—from the hilarious to the touching— brilliantly presented in a unique, visually striking comic strip style.

Takashi Yamada and his wacky wife Matsuko, who has no talent for housework, navigate their way through the ups and downs of work, marriage, and family life with a sharp-tongued grandmother who lives with them, a teenage son who wishes he had cooler parents, and a pesty daughter whose loud voice is unusual for someone so small. Even the family dog has issues!

Experience the little victories in life with My Neighbors The Yamadas—featuring the voice talents of comedic stars Jim Belushi and Molly Shannon.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Featurettes
Storyboard Comparisons
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

A very weird film. Based on a popular manga this is a series of vignettes very much in the comic-strip style of Andy Capp, The Perishers, FoxTrot, Blondie and many, many others. The style takes some getting used to, apparently this was the first film from Studio Ghibli to be produced entirely on computer as Isao Takahata did not want the traditional look and feel of cel animation. As to be expected with a film of this concept some of the vignettes work better than others, one of my favourites is when Mr. Yamada is 'watching the baseball' and Mrs. Yamada wants to watch a movie. The ballet between them as Mrs. Yamada tries to use the zapper to chanage the channel and Mr. Yamada blocks with his newspaper is well executed and nicely choreographed.

I did enjoy this to a degree, some bits worked some didn't so a 3

[dfmorgan]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Spirited Away
Original Title: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi
Year: 2001
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Rating: PG
Length: 124 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.00:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Japanese: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French:

Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Rumi Hiiragi
Mari Natsuki
Miyu Irino
Yumi Tamai
Bunta Sugawara

Plot:
From one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of animated cinema comes the most acclaimed film of 2002. Hayao Miyazaki's latest triumph, filled with astonishing animation and epic adventure, is a dazzling masterpiece for the ages. It's a "wonderfully welcoming work of art that's as funny and entertaining as it is brilliant, beautiful and deep" (Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal).

Spirited Away is a wondrous fantasy about a young girl, Chihiro, trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free herself and return her family to the outside world.

This deluxe 2-disc set overflows with outstanding bonus features, including the Japanese television special about the making of the film, an inside view into the artistry of Miyazaki, and a storyboard-to-scene comparison. Spirited Away is a spectacular DVD the whole family will want to experience over and over again.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Featurettes
Production Notes
Storyboard Comparisons
Closed Captioned
Introduction by John Lasseter

My Thoughts:

The one that won the Oscar.

Chihiro and her family are moving but her father takes a wrong turning and finishes up trying to reach the new house over a dirt track but instead this track leads to a tunnel. The family take time out to walk through the tunnel, as you do when moving house, and come out on the other side in a field with some abandoned buildings. The father surmises that this must be an abandoned theme park. They explore further and end up in what appears to be a deserted town but the parents can smell fresh food and upon finding the restaurant start to eat the food. Chihiro though doesn't want any and leaves her parents busy scoffing. During her excursion Chihiro meets a young man who warns her to escape with her parents but when she goes back to them they have been turned into pigs. Thus begins this mystical adventure from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.

All the usual trademarks from Miyazaki are here plus to a minor extent, compared to his earlier films, we also have the environmental and ecological themes.

Whilst I do like this film it is not one of my favourites but it is enjoyable so a 4

[dfmorgan]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: The Cat Returns
Original Title: Neko no ongaeshi
Year: 2002
Director: Hiroyuki Morita
Rating: G
Length: 75 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Japanese: Dolby Digital: 5.1
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Chizuru Ikewaki
Yoshihiko Hakamada
Tetsu Watanabe
Yosuke Saito
Mari Hamada

Plot:
From the creators of the Academy Award®-winning* Spirited Away comes the visually stunning The Cat Returns.

Haru, a schoolgirl bored by her ordinary routine, saves the life of an unusual cat, and suddenly her world is transformed beyond anything she ever imagined. The Cat King rewards her good deed with a flurry of presents, including a very shocking proposal of marriage to his son! Haru then embarks on an unexpected journey to the Kingdom of Cats, where her eyes are opened to a whole other world and her destiny is uncertain. To change her fate, she'll need to learn to believe in herself and, in the process, she will learn to appreciate her everyday life.

Featuring the sensational voice talents of Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, Peter Boyle and Elliot Gould, The Cat Returns is a magical animated adventure that will delight and inspire everyone.

*2002 Best Animated Feature Film

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Featurettes
Closed Captioned
Complete Storyboards

My Thoughts:

This is another gorgeous film from Studio Ghibli.

Haru, a high school teenager, saves a cat from being run-over. This cat is the son of the Cat King who decides that Haru should be showered with gifts and will be wed to the Prince. Haru hears a voice that advises her to go the the Cat Bureau to get help. At the Cat Bureau Haru enlists the help of The Baron, from Whisper of the Heart, and his friends to solve the problem of her proposed marriage.

Although not a direct sequel to Whisper of the Heart it is a close relation. Studio Ghibli received a commission to produce an animation based on cats for a theme park. Hayao Miyazaki heard about this commission and thought that The Baron and Muta, from Whisper of the Heart, would be ideal for this. He asked the creator of the original manga for Whisper of the Heart, Aoi Hiiragi, to write a manga for this. Aoi Hiiragi did this and it was published as The Baron: The Cat Returns. However the commission fell through and Hayao Miyazaki then decided that this should be turned into a full feature and that one of the new and upcoming directors should handle it.

Yet another 5

[dfmorgan]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Howl's Moving Castle
Original Title: Hauru no Ugoku Shiro
Year: 2004
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Rating: PG
Length: 119 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Japanese: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Chieko Baisho
Takuya Kimura
Akihiro Miwa
Haruko Kato
Ryunosuke Kamiki

Plot:
In Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated masterpiece, journey beyond imagination and enter a "breathtaking fantasy world" (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) filled with adventure, humor, and heart.

Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a spell on Sophie. In a life-changing adventure, Sophie climbs aboard Howl's magnificent flying castle and enters a magical world on a quest to break the spell.

Featuring the voice talents of Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, and Billy Crystal, Miyazaki's artistry comes to life on DVD with inventive characters, unique storytelling, and richly detailed animation.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Featurettes
Interviews
Storyboard Comparisons
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Another wonderfully gorgeous film from Hayao Miyazaki. Hayao Miyazaki has inverted one of his trademarks in this film in that the strong female lead, although technically a young woman, is portrayed by a 90 year old woman after the young girl is cursed by a witch. Sophie leaves home after being cursed and eventually finds herself in Howl's castle with the help of a scarecrow, a pity he is referred to as Turniphead as that has connotations for England football followers. Within Howl's castle Sophie finds out that Howl the magician himself is cursed along with the fire demon and the scarecrow who helped her earlier and that she must solve the riddle for all of them to remove the curses on them.

Another of my favourites and a surefire

[dfmorgan]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Tales from Earthsea
Original Title: Gedo Senki
Year: 2006
Director: Goro Miyazaki
Rating: PG
Length: 111 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Japanese: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Junichi Okada
Aoi Teshima
Yuko Tanaka
Teruyuki Kagawa
Jun Fubuki

Plot:
Goro Miyazaki's debut feature as director, Tales From Earthsea is an epic adventure, adapted from the much-loved series of novels by Ursula K. Le Guin.

It tells the story of Ged (voiced in English by Timothy Dalton), the most powerful wizard in Earthsea, and his attempts to protect Prince Arren (Matt Levin) from the evil machinations of rival wizard Cob (Willem Dafoe). Together with Therru, a young girl he rescued from slave takers,Arren must unite with Ged to defeat Cob and return balance to their world.

Beautifully animated, Tales From Earthsea will enchant viewers of all ages and once again shows Studio Ghibli at the height of its powers.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Interviews
Storyboard Comparisons

My Thoughts:

Studio Ghibli  , Miyazaki  , Goro Miyazaki  . A Miyazaki film but this time it's Goro, the son of Hayao Miyazaki. Hayao Miyazaki was involved in this film during its initial development and storywriting but had to pass when he commenced work on Howl's Moving Castle. Studio Ghibli, still looking for future talent, put Goro in charge.

People are noticing that the balance of the world is out of kilter and the King asks his advisers to try to find the cause. However the young Prince Arren kills his father and runs away. On his journey he meets Sparrowhawk (Ged), the Archmage, who takes him under his wing. Together they discover that a rival is behind the problems.

The film is based on the Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin. Disney had problems with the release of this film in America as the film/TV/video rights to Earthsea were held by The Sci-Fi Channel. However these rights lapsed in 2009 and Disney finally released this film to cinemas in August 2010 with a video release apparently due before Christmas. The rest of the world didn't have these problems so they released the film and videos in 2007 and 2008 and where necessary the Disney dubbing was used. A couple of minor gripes I have with this release from Optimum Releasing, who used the Madman Australia authored DVD, is that they used the same print for both the English language and the Japanese language versions. So all you get is the English opening and closing credits whereas the R1 Disney DVDs for the other titles had the Japanese opening and closing credits for the Japanese language. Also they only used one set of English subtitles which, conveniently, were for the Japanese soundtrack whereas again Disney previously had English HoH subtitles for the English soundtrack.

A film that I did enjoy but not as much as other Studio Ghibli films. For me this is only a

edited for a couple of typos

[Najemikon]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Porco Rosso
Original Title: Kurenai no buta
Year: 1992
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Rating: PG
Length: 93 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, French: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Hey, Dave... have you heard that a sequel to Porco Rosso is planned? Empire report it here: http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=28736

[dfmorgan]

Hey, Dave... have you heard that a sequel to Porco Rosso is planned? Empire report it here: http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=28736

Thanks for that. Could be interesting.

Dave

[dfmorgan]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Ponyo
Original Title: Gake no ue no Ponyo
Year: 2008
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Rating: U
Length: 103 Min.
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: PCM: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio: 6.1 (Discrete), Japanese: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Hiroki Doi
Yuria Nara
Tomoko Yamaguchi
Kazushige Nagashima
George Tokoro

Plot:
Welcome to a world of magic and adventure! Academy Award®- winning director Hayao Miyazaki (2002, Best Animated Feature, Spirited Away) brings to life a heart-warming and imaginative retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairytale The Little Mermaid. And now it's even more thrilling through the magic of Blu-ray, with never before seen extras that will take you on a journey into the film's enchanted world!

A young boy named Sosuke (Frankie Jonas) rescues a goldfish named Ponyo (Noah Cyrus), and they embark on a fantastic journey of friendship and discovery. Under the sea Ponyo's father, the Wizard Fujimoto (Liam Neeson) is desperate for his daughter to return to their undersea home and uses his magic to bring her back, much to Ponyo's dismay. But Ponyo, ever the stubborn little goldfish, longs to return to her special friend. She magically transforms herself into a little girl and finds her way back to Sosuke's house but accidentally stumbles upon her father's magical 'Water of Life' and triggers a gigantic storm. Now balance must be restored to the world they all cherish.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Featurettes
Music Videos
Interviews
Storyboard Comparisons
Introduction Art Cards Stickers

My Thoughts:

Back on the 6th of June I said:- Another wonderful anime from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. The basic premise of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid with a magical twist. I liked the Wagnerian references to Die Walküre with Ponyo's original name being Brünnhilde and then after Ponyo releases the storm, she rides the waves and fishes to music thematically close to The Ride Of The Valkyrie from that opera.

And the above still stands. To tie this in with the other reviews in this marathon I will say that Hayao Miyazaki once again used many of his trademarks:

The way the clouds, trees, grasses, plants, water, hair and clothing moved in the wind
The way he used and showed the environmental damage and the ecology
The use of children as the lead participants

And has made another wonderful film that can be enjoyed at many levels by both children and adults alike.

As with Tales From Earthsea I have a minor quibble with Optimum Releasing in that again they have used the Disney English print for both languages so that again we don't get the Japanese opening and closing credits. Now it may be that they have done this with all their releases but these two are the only ones I have from them that include an English option, the other two Studio Ghibli titles I have from Optimum are in Japanese only and all the rest of the Studio Ghiblis are the R1 Disney releases.

A superbly magnificent