Ponyo- The Rise of Studio Ghibli in America

If you've gone to the movies lately you might have noticed a movie called Ponyo. The movie poster reads: "Walt Disney presents a Studio Ghibli Film. Probably more than a few Americans are wondering, "Who is studio Ghibli?" Studio Ghibli was created in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. They produce anime movies and a lot of them have broken box office records in Japan. They have a small cult following in America that is growing rapidly. Don't let the term anime scare you away from these movies. They are essentially just cartoons. But, don't think that cartoons are just for kids. These movies are for people of all ages and the older you are the more you may appreciate them. In fact the Miyazaki film Grave of the Fireflies deals with some very adult themes. The soundtracks, composed by Joe Hisaishi, are amazing and will make you feel like you are there onscreen with the characters. The voice acting for the English dubbed versions are top-notch and include actors like Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Miley Cyrus, Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, and many more. Everyone should see these Studio Ghibli movies. My first Miyazaki film was Howl's Moving Castle. It's about a young girl named Sophie who is cursed by a witch and as a result becomes an elderly lady. She then seeks refuge with the notorious wizard, Howl, and his fire demon Calcifer. She begins an adventure that spans several kingdoms in order to break the curse. You can get this movie from Amazon.com by clicking here. (If you choose to buy these movies be careful of the DVD collection sets. Studio Ghibli has not officially released a box movie set.) This particular film is based on the the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones and is very faithful to the storyline and especially represents the characters well. To get the original book experience you can order it from Amazon.com by clicking here. We highly recommend using Amazon.com for their low prices, speedy delivery, and free shipping. I went to purchase a book recently that cost $39.99 at my local bookstore and instead purchased it from Amazon for $16.99!

Back to the heart of the matter. It's time to remove the glamour and uncover the wordcraft of Studio Ghibli and its new movie Ponyo. Obviously Miyazaki is not afraid to base a movie on a book, as seen in the case of Howl's Moving Castle as I mentioned above. So what are the roots of this film. As it turns out the concept of Ponyo is based on Disney's The Little Mermaid (do you see the pattern yet?). You're probably saying to yourself, "That's another movie!" Yes it is, but be patient. The fact is that the movie version of The Little Mermaid is adapted from a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. You can find the story online here. Or, if you prefer to have a hard copy, you can buy the complete Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen and find out for yourself that a lot of your favorite TV shows and movies are based off of his works.
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author who lived from 1805 to 1875. He wrote over one hundred and fifty children's stories that have been translated into many languages. He was the son of a shoemaker and a washerwoman and grew up in Funen, Denmark. Before his father died when he was eleven, he would take young Hans to the local theatre to nurture his creative side. He led a fairly succesful life and was even friends with Charles Dickens. Almost 200 years later Hans Christian Andersen's wordcraft continues to live on and, in this case, may even make Studio Ghibli a household name as big as Disney itself.