Concerning Ponyo

A little boy named Sosuke (Frankie Jonas) finds a beautiful red goldfish stuck in a bottle in the ocean. Unbeknown to him, this "goldfish" is really the daughter of an ex-human man and the goddess of the sea. After licking a little of Sosuke's blood off his finger, the newly-named Ponyo (Noah Cyrus) gains the ability to become human. But her choice to do so upsets the balance of the world, putting everyone on earth in danger.

The perfect word to describe this movie is "whimsical." The colors, animation, story, and above all the two little kids, are very reminiscent of a good, old-fashioned bedtime story. My favorite part of the movie was Ponyo. She is the very picture of a little girl on a new, exciting adventure - running around the house with the light on her head especially caught my attention.

Along with Ponyo's sweetness, I was impressed by the portrayal of Sosuke's mom, as well as the seniors in the senior center. Instead of reprimanding Sosuke for "making up a story" about his fish that became human, his mother accepts it without comment. Ordinarily, the disbelief of the parent(s) is one obstacle for kids to overcome, but that wasn't the case in this movie. The respect shown for the seniors in the senior center was impressive also. Wheelchair-bound seniors generally don't make their way into kids' movies.

With the positive elements in mind, there was an element I didn't really care for. The two mothers in the movie are stronger than the fathers, although it's more glaringly obvious with Ponyo's parents than Sosuke's. The goddess might also be a little problematic for some, but I don't see it as much different than the witch-queen in Snow White or even the fairy godmother in Cinderella. Kids just need to understand that it's only a bedtime story.

Having said that, I'm not sure how little kids would view this movie. For me, the appeal was in the beautiful animation (the traditional kind; this wasn't computer-generated like Pixar) and the innocence of the kids, two things that probably wouldn't make any difference to someone who is still a little kid. There is a little humor, but not the kind that (in my experience) makes little kids roar with laughter. In the end, Ponyo is a wonderful little story that can by enjoyed to some extent by both kids and adults, though it probably won't be anyone's favorite animated movie.

Note: This is a Japanese movie dubbed in English

My Rating: OK (a goddess, slight conflict between spouses)

Regarding How to Train Your Dragon

Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is not your typical Viking. He's not tall, and his arms and legs are like toothpicks. He doesn't mind so very much - except that he and his father have nothing in common and rarely talk about anything. Desperately wanting to heal this divide, Hiccup wants to kill one of the dragons that attack the village at regular intervals. But not just any dragon. He wants to kill the Night Fury dragon that no one has ever seen. When he finally lands a hit on the one that has been terrorizing the village, it crashes a distance away. No one else believes he actually hit it. Hiccup goes out to find his dragon and, if need be, finish it off. But he soon discovers a surprising truth that never occurred to him or any of the other Vikings - that dragons might not be so evil after all.

The biggest thing that jumped out at me about this movie is that it's so clean for a Dreamworks production. Based on the animated Dreamworks movies I've seen (Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, and Over the Hedge) and especially on those I haven't seen (the Shrek trilogy), Dreamworks doesn't really make movies that are tiny-kid friendly. I would never let a five year-old son of mine watch Madagascar. However, How to Train Your Dragon has just one crude part, and on a scale of one to ten, it's not all that crude.

Besides being cleaner than a lot of animated movies I've seen, I also enjoyed how the dragons were portrayed more like dogs than people. Don't get me wrong; I love the mice in Cinderella. But it can get a little tiresome to have animals and people speak to each other - particularly in a world where people are pushing "animal rights." But the dragons are very definitely not able to speak. In fact, Toothless reminds me a lot of a couple different dogs I know.

This dogginess of Toothless helps make the relationship between him and Hiccup pretty real. Toothless's (sometimes) misguided attempts at trying to please Hiccup are so sweet, and Hiccup really throws himself into training and caring for his dragon. They're just a boy and his (really, really cool) pet.

Which brings me to the other relationships in the movie. Hiccup's relationship with his dad Stoick (Gerard Butler) is definitely strained. This can get a little tiresome when it's in too many movies, but it didn't come across as a lecture to parents; just a reason why Hiccup had to do what he had to do on his own. The relationship I really liked was the one between Astrid (America Ferrara) and Hiccup. America is a tough, no-nonsense girl - but Hiccup ends up being superior in the fighting skills department. Finding a balance between "tough girl" and "girl power" is a delicate business, and not too many animated movies have been able to pull it off.

My Rating: AGC

Picture from impawards.com

In Relation To The Lion King

Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas/Matthew Broderick) is a spoilt little lion cub whose daddy happens to be king of the African plain. When Simba's uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons) tries to kill Simba so he can be next in line to the throne, his plans go awry. He decides to go a step further and kill both Simba and his father. Simba escapes, but, unable to face his mother, he runs away. It will be years before he finds the strength to return and free his kingdom from Scar's tyranny.

Pros: I absolutely love the music in this movie! The singing songs are good (written by Elton John), but the score is incredible. I'm not a big fan of Hans Zimmer, the composer, in general, because I think his music pretty much all sounds the same (John Williams's music is the same way), but I believe this might be his best work. The animation is pretty good, too. The faces were surprisingly expressive. And there's something about the king's death and the next-to-last scene that is so powerful. Don't ask me why; I don't know! Rafiki the baboon (Robert Guillaume) is awesome!

Cons: There's more "guy humor" than I like in this movie, but then, I'm not a guy.

Note: For those of you who haven't seen the trailer for the Broadway play, here it is, courtesy of a blog called A Rose in Bloom.

My Rating: AGC (but I know kids who are terrified by the hyenas)

In Relation To Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin

Life is perfect in the Hundred Acre Wood. Pooh is with his best friend, Christopher Robin, and the pair of buddies spend the entire day playing. But when morning comes, Pooh finds Christopher Robin is gone - and the only clue to his whereabouts is in a very honey-smeared note on a honeypot that Pooh found outside his door. Pooh and his friends are horrified when Owl deciphers the contents of the note and discovers that Christopher Robin has gone to a terrible place called "Skull." Pooh instantly sets out on an adventure to find and rescue his friend.

Pros: I'm a sucker for Pooh Bear. He's so adorable, and Tigger is so funny. I like the rest of the characters, too, even down to Eeyore. And Rabbit, whom I couldn't stand when I was younger. There are some great songs in this movie, including Owl's spine-chilling song about adventure, and Rabbit's know-it-all song about maps.

Cons: When I was little I had the hardest time figuring out the main point of this movie. Even though Christopher Robin isn't always with Pooh, they're still together? Huh? I thought that only applied to God and sweethearts! But I think I've figured it out. If Pooh has a great friend like Christopher Robin, even though they're not always together, Pooh is never alone. He always has Christopher Robin to back him, even though they're apart.

My Rating: AGC

Regarding The Rescuers

Little Penny (Michelle Stacy) is in terrible trouble. Held captive on a riverboat by an evil woman, Penny tosses messages in bottles into the water, hoping against hope that one of her bottles will end up in the right hands. Or paws. As it turns out, the Rescue Aid Society, a group of mice from all over the world, finds one of her messages and sends two of its members out to save her. Or one of its members and its janitor. Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor), the agent who is chosen for the mission, chooses Bernard (Bob Newhart), the superstitious and timid janitor, as her companion. Together they have to find Penny and rescue her before it's too late.

Pros: I think this movie is so funny! Miss Bianca is so sweet, and Bernard is hilarious - though my favorite characters are Orville (Jim Jordan) and Evinrude (James MacDonald). Oh, and Penny is an adorable little girl!

Cons: I think Bernard's superstitions are funny, but I'm not sure they're entirely appropriate for a kids' movie.

My Rating: AGC

Picture from impawards.com

An External Link...

Being a huge Pixar fan and a moderate DreamWorks un-fan, I just had to include a link to this infographic on Decent Films comparing Pixar and DreamWorks.

On Toy Story 3

Andy is growing up. He's leaving for college in a few short days and his mom makes him decide what to do with his old toys. Woody (Tom Hanks) will go with him to college and the other toys will go in the attic. However, a mixup happens and Woody and the gang end up at a daycare called Sunnyside, where happy little children come to play. That is, happy little children play in the Butterfly Room. The kids who populate the Caterpiller Room are another story. The toys must somehow find their way out of the daycare and back to Andy in one night - a task that requires all their courage and resourcefulness.

Pros: Somehow Pixar has been able to make each Toy Story movie better than the last when most studios can't even make a single decent sequel. This movie is both hilarious and touching, even for adults. The animation is stunning (notice the kids' hair and the cardboard boxes).

Cons: The only con was the short film Night & Day. It was boring and politically correct.

My Rating: AGC