Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea,the latest movie by Hiyao Miyazaki, is the newest sensation with the 1-5 set here in Tokyo. The animation is very simple and seems to revolve around a little boy finding and befriending a mutant saltwater tadpole boy he meets near the sea. Everyone seems to ostracize poor Ponyo (the boy? the tadpole?) but yet, they’re off on a grand marine adventure all the same. At the Ghibli Museum, Miyazaki’s tribute to animation, childhood and the imagination, a narrow, dimmed corridor is dedicated to coming attractions. Here, a trio of miniature girls who hardly looked old enough to speak were bouncing off each other, thrilled for Ponyo and singing the entire song. It’s an infectious little number even if you only know “ Ponyo, Ponyo, hmmmmhmmmhmhmhm! Ponyo, Ponyo, gajfjf dkdddjjjjfds!”
... read more