Movie Critics Round-up: Is Ponyo a 'Masterwork' or a Bore?

Ponyo, the latest release from anime legend Hayao Miyazaki hits theaters across the U.S. this weekend thanks to Walt Disney Pictures, and the reviews are rolling in from mainstream movie critics and anime bloggers alike. The spectrum of opinion tended to be on the rosier side, but not everyone was enamoured with the adventures of Miyazaki's little fish girl.

But first, the word from the big guns:

• Entertainment Weekly critic Lisa Schawarzbaum gave Ponyo high marks, calling it "an emotionally profound, visually thrilling animated reimagining of the classic fairy tale The Little Mermaid."
• New York Times critic Manohla Dargis called Ponyo Miyazaki's "latest masterwork." Dargis also noted that "far more than Mr. Miyazaki’s other recent films, this one obviously has been created for young viewers."
• National Public Radio and Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan is not a push-over for fluff, but the normally hard-to-impress film critic was utterly charmed by Ponyo, describing it as a "sweet-natured film that emphasizes the joys of childhood friendships." He was particularly taken by Miyazaki's "unforgettable images, like Ponyo running on the crests of waves, images that use the logic of dreams to make the deepest possible connection to our emotions, and to our souls."
• New York Magazine critic David Edelstein gave Ponyo a "10" and seconded Dargis' observation that this film is "more straightforward and kiddie-friendly than such multilayered masterpieces as Spirited Away," but also added "its simplicity lets you see the director’s greatness more clearly."

Memories of Miyazaki's Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle gave several bloggers reasons to temper their enthusiasm for Ponyo.

• Anime Diet blogger Michael Huang gave Ponyo an 88% rating, calling its hand-drawn animation "a work of real beauty." While he conceded that the story is simple and its has some "slight pacing problems here and there," Huang concluded that "these are minor blemishes on what is the most focused, sincere, and touching story he’s come up with in a good long while. I loved it."
• Anime Almanac critic Scott Von Schilling was not as forgiving. Calling Ponyo Miyazaki's "biggest disappointment yet," Von Schilling wondered if the anime auteur was "purposely holding back on his creative potential in order for his films to be more 'accessible' to foreign audiences." As a result, Von Schilling found Ponyo so lacking in merit, he concluded, "This is not a good Miyazaki animated film. Hell, it’s not even as good as most American animated films."
• Huffington Post critic Eric Lurio felt similarly let down by Ponyo. His ire was mostly aimed at Ponyo's "astoundingly insipid plot." Lurio praised Miyazaki as a "master of plotting," whose previous works fantasies "all have well though out stories and deep characters. This time, it's idiot plotting cardboard figurines."
• Anime News Network critic Zac Bertschy tried to put the pros and cons into perspective. Conceding that Ponyo "may be considered something of a letdown by longtime fans of the artist," Bertschy also reminded readers that "Comparing this to any of his previous films, with the possible exception of My Neighbor Totoro – is a waste of time." Why? Because Ponyo is a "pure fairytale. Cold adult-minded logic has no place and no purchase inside those stories." He sums up by saying, "So while Ponyo may not be what Miyazaki fans expect – or even want – from him at this point, it succeeds at what it's trying to be, which is an old-fashioned fairytale with some truly breathtaking moments."

To promote Ponyo, Miyazaki-sensei went on a whirlwind tour of the U.S. in late July, making appearances at San Diego Comic-Con, University of Calilfornia-Berkeley and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, leaving a trail of sell-outs and adoring fans in his wake.

I didn't make it to any of his lectures, but Ka-Ming Cha, manga editor for Publishers' Weekly did (and more than a few other journalists and bloggers did too). Besides writing up her experiences with Miyazaki for PW, Cha also rounded up numerous links to other reports of brushes with Studio Ghibli's main man. But I just had to share this quote from Miyazaki about manga's relationship with anime.

“I think we can enjoy manga by reading manga.” Miyazaki said of his preference for creating original material for his movies instead of adapting a manga series. “If we can avoid making manga into anime, that would be better.”

If you want more Ponyo, VIZ Media has released several books in their Studio Ghibli Library imprint to whet your appetite for all things Miyazaki.

• Starting Point: 1979 - 1996 by Hayao Miyazaki - a hardbound collection of essays by Miyazaki about his works and his creative philosophy, as well as comics and sketches created by Miyazaki.
• The Art of Ponyo - A full color, deluxe art book featuring concept sketches, cells, paintings and behind the scenes stories from the masters at Studio Ghibli
• Ponyo Picture Book - A storybook version of the Ponyo story with lots of color illustrations from the film
• Ponyo Film Comics - a.k.a. the "ani-manga" version of Ponyo with scenes from the film with word balloons and sound effects, all in full color, and complete in four volumes.

So what do you think? Have you seen Ponyo? Did you leave the theater raving or ranting? Share the joy and talk about your reactions to this fishy fantasy film in the comments below.

Image credit: Walt Disney Pictures