Am heutigen Samstag, den 21. November 2009, zeigt SuperRTL einen weiteren Family Cartoon. Nachdem bereits gestern Cap & Capper 2 gezeigt wurde, wird heute der Studio Ghibli Anime “Das Königreich der Katzen” ausgestrahlt. Ein schöner, leichtgängiger Anime, welcher zwar etwas kurz geraten ist, aber dennoch sehr gelungen ist. Hier eine kleine Inhaltsangabe zum Film:

Als die Schülerin Haru einen Kater rettet, verändert sich ihr Leben. Der König der Katzen ist ihr so dankbar, dass sie sogar mit seinem Sohn verheiratet werden soll. Doch Haru möchte nicht ihr Leben mit einem Vierbeiner verbringen. Als das Mädchen in das Reich der Katzen entführt wird, trifft sie auf einen vornehmen Baron, der ihr helfen will. Denn wenn sie nicht innerhalb von 24 Stunden aus dem Reich fliehen kann, wird sie für immer eine Katze werden…

SuperRTL zeigt “Das Königreich der Katzen” am 21. November 2009 um 20.15 Uhr. Falls euch der Film gefällt, könnt ihr ihn euch natürlich auch auf DVD kaufen:

Das Königreich der Katzen (Special Edition, 2 DVDs)

Der Onlineauftritt von Entertainment Weekly hat vor kurzem eine Liste der 20 besten Animationsfilme veröffentlicht. Die Liste ist natürlich nur eine Zusammenstellung der Entertainment Weekly Redaktion und sie basiert nicht auf dem kommerziellen Erfolg der Filme, weshalb auch relativ viele Independent Filme mit dabei sind. Hier die Liste:

1. Wall-E (2008, Disney/Pixar)
   Meine Meinung: Wall-E ist eine wundervolle Symbiose aus Romanze und Gesellschaftskritik, die mit einem wundervoll subtilen Humor gespickt ist.
   Wall-E auf DVD und Blu-ray:
   WALL·E – Der Letzte räumt die Erde auf (Einzel-DVD)
   Wall-E – Der letzte räumt die Erde auf – 2-Disc Set [Blu-ray]
   
2. Chihiros Reise ins Zauberland (2001, Studio Ghibli)
   Meine Meinung: Neben Prinzessin Mononoke der stärkste Miyazaki Film. Die Neuinterpretation der klassischen Geschichte von Alice im Wunderland ist fabelhaft gelungen und bietet darüber hinaus genug eigene Elemente, um dem Zuschauer eine völlig neue Erfahrung zu bieten.
   Chihiros Reise ins Zauberland auf DVD:
   Chihiros Reise ins Zauberland (Special Edition, 2 DVDs)
3. Oben (2009, Disney/Pixar)
   Meine Meinung: Für mich bisher der beste Film 2009 und genau so tiefgründig und faszinierend wie “Wall-E”. Pixar beweist mit den neusten Filmen, dass man neben eher albernen Filmen auch wirklich tiefgründige Kost bieten kann.
   Oben auf DVD und Blu-ray:
   Oben
   Oben (+ DVD) (+ Digital Copy Disc) [Blu-ray]
4. Der König der Löwen (1994, Disney)
   Meine Meinung: Für viele Menschen meiner Generation ist dieser Film einer der Schlüsselmomente der Kindheit. Der Film hat zwar inzwischen 15 Jahre auf dem Buckel, ist aber immer noch genau so faszinierend und wird noch über Jahrzehnte hinweg Kinder und Erwachsene begeistern. Aber meiner Ansicht nach ist der Film schwächer als “Die Schöne und das Biest”.
5. Persepolis (2007, Universal)
   Info zum Film: Ein Film über die Geschichte einer Familie im Iran, die über alle Grenzen und Generationen hinweg zusammenhält.
   Persepolis auf DVD:
   Persepolis
6. Die Schöne und das Biest (1991, Disney)
   Meine Meinung: Für mich der schönste Disney Film der 90er Jahre, welcher zurecht als bester Film des Jahres für den Oscar nominiert wurde. Der Film ist für mich ein zeitloser Klassiker und einer der ganz großen Würfe von Disney. Im Herbst 2010 wird dieses Meisterwerk endlich wieder  neu auf DVD und Blu-ray aufgelegt.
7. Die Unglaublichen (2004, Disney/Pixar)
   Meine Meinung: Vor allem humortechnisch weiß der Film voll und ganz zu überzeugen. In meine persönliche Top 3 der Pixar Filme schafft es dieser Film zwar nicht, aber dennoch ist er meiner Meinung nach ein wundervoller Film, welcher gekonnt Superheldenklischees bedient ohne dabei lächerlich zu wirken.
   Die Unglaublichen auf DVD:
   Die Unglaublichen
8. Toy Story 2 (1999, Disney/Pixar)
   Meine Meinung: Ein weiterer Pixar Film und ein weitere Meisterleistung der Schmiede. Es gelingt zwar selten, aber der zweite Teil von Toy Story übertrumpft das Original deutlich und bietet Familienunterhaltung auf höchstem Niveau. Da kann man sich definitiv auf den dritten Teil nächstes Jahr freuen.
9. Bambi (1942, Disney)
   Meine Meinung: Bambi gehört zweifellos in diese Liste, da es Disney hier gelungen ist einen Familienfilm zu veröffentlichen, der sowohl die Kleinen als auch die Großen zu Tränen rührt. Eine wundervolle Pioniersarbeit für zukünftige Werke.
10. Coraline (2009, Universal)
    Meine Meinung: Für mich ist der Film einerseits ein grandioser 3D Film und zugleich ein wundervoll gruseliges Märchen mit grandiosen Ideen und einer starken Bildsprache. Der Film richtet sich eher an Erwachsene und wird für die meisten Kinder zu grausam sein, was dem Film aber nicht schadet.
    Coraline auf DVD und Blu-ray:
    Coraline (Collector’s Edition, 2 DVDs)
    Coraline (2D- + 3D-Version des Films inkl. vier 3D-Brillen im limited Premium-Schuber) [Blu-ray]
11. Dumbo (1941, Disney)
    Meine Meinung: Ein weiterer zeitloser Klassiker aus dem Hause Disney, welcher wichtige Werte vermittelt. Kommendes Frühjahr erhält der Film eine Neuveröffentlichung auf DVD und Blu-ray, worauf sich alle Disney Fans freuen dürfen.
12. Das große Rennen von Belleville (2003, Les Amateurs)
    Infos zum Film: Ein skuriller Film rund um die Tour de France und alte Damen, die versuchen den entführten Champion zu retten. War 2003 sogar als bester Animationsfilm für einen Oscar nominiert.
    Das große Rennen von Belleville auf DVD:
    Das große Rennen von Belleville
13. Chicken Run (2000, Aardman)
    Meine Meinung: Für mich zwar nicht so stark wie “Wallace & Gromit”,  aber dennoch eine gelungene Komödie. Für mich bleiben aber “Wallace & Gromit” und “Flutsch und weg” führend in Sachen Aardman.
    Chicken Run auf DVD:
    Chicken Run – Hennen Rennen

14. AKIRA (1988, Toho/Bandai)
    Infos zum Film: Für viele Leute der Inbegriff des Steampunk Anime und einer der ersten Animes, der auch in westlichen Gefilden Erfolg feiern konnte.
15. Der Gigant aus dem All (1999, Warner Bros.)
    Meine Meinung: Der beste Film von Brad Bird, der heute fast ausschließlich für Pixar arbeitet. Es ist wirklich Schade, dass der Film so unerfolgreich war, was aber wohl an der ernsten Thematik des Filmes liegt. Der Film hat alles: Humor, Dramatik, Spannung, Atmosphäre und Anspruch.
    Der Gigant aus dem All auf DVD:
    Der Gigant aus dem All

16. South Park der Film (1999, Warner Bros./Paramount)
    Meine Meinung: Der Film ist einfach nur grandios und bietet bitterbösen Humor. Kein Film für Kinder, aber ein Meisterwerk für Erwachsene. Matt Stone und Trey Parker haben die TV-Serie wirklich grandios auf die Kinoleinwand adaptiert.
17. Kikis kleiner Lieferservice (1989, Studio Ghibli)
    Meine Meinung: Ein wundervolles Feel-Good Movie aus dem Hause Studio Ghibli. Der Film ist zwar an sich nicht spektakulär, macht aber dank der sympathischen Charaktere sehr viel Spaß. Gehört definitiv in meine Top 5 der Ghibli Filme.
    Kikis kleiner Lieferservice auf DVD:
    Kikis kleiner Lieferservice (Einzel-DVD)
18. Pinochio (1940, Disney)
    Meine Meinung: Pinochio darf natürlich nicht fehlen, da er wie Dumbo oder Bambi ein Meilenstein des Animationfilmes ist und zahlreiche wichtige Werte vermittelt.
    Pinochio auf DVD und Blu-ray:
    Pinocchio – Platinum Edition zum 70. Jubiläum, 2 DVDs
    Pinocchio – Platinum Edition (+DVD) [Blu-ray]
19. Waltz with Bashir (2008, Arte)
    Infos zum Film: Ein animierter Dokumentarfilm über die Erinnerungen von Soldaten an den Libanon Krieg.
    Waltz with Bashir auf DVD:
    Waltz with Bashir (Limited Edition)
20. Ghost in the Shell (1995, Production I.G.)
    Meine Meinung: Ein weiterer Meilenstein des erwachsenen Animationfilmes, welcher eine düstere Zukunftsvision zeigt und dabei neben den zahlreichen Actionsequenzen auch genügend Anspruch bietet.
    Ghost in the Shell auf DVD:
    Ghost in the Shell, 1 DVD-Video

Eine Liste die natürlich nicht Vollständig ist und an vielen Stellen sehr überrascht. So ist es erstaunlich, dass es kein einziger DreamWorks Animation Film in die Top 20 geschafft hat. Gebt einfach einen Kommentar ab und sagt eure Meinung zur Liste.

Quelle: Entertainment Weekly

The other two puzzles I’ve posted about have been finished for quite a while now, but I’ve been waiting on one more to complete the room redecoration they’re a part of. After having the puzzle on backorder through HobbyLink Japan for quite some time to no avail, I finally decided to cancel the order there and buy it from Love Ghibli instead, where it was listed as in stock. It was a bit more expensive from Love Ghibli but I really like the store and customer service you get from there, and I don’t think HLJ was ever going to be able to find more stock, so in the end it’s what I probably should have done in the first place. In any case, it’s here now and I can’t wait to get it done and put it up on my wall.

Gake no Ue no Ponyo, Ponyo sobre el acantilado o con el lamentable titulo que se encuentra ahora mismo en las salas de cine mexicanas: El secreto de la sirenita. Hoy por fin vi Ponyo sobre el acantilado, después de contenerme una vez que la descargue, después de dos retrasos de su estreno, al fin pude entrar al cine a ver la película más reciente de Studio Ghibli y de Hayao Miyazaki.

Ponyo nos narra la historia de una pececita (no es una sirena) que es hija de un hechicero del fondo del mar y la madre naturaleza, por mero azar Ponyo conoce a Sosuke, un chico de cinco años que vive en la casa justo encima de un acantilado, El chico y Ponyo se encariñaran, a partir del encuentro con su nuevo amigo, Ponyo querrá dejar de ser pez y convertirse en humana.

Ella es Ponyo

La historia definitivamente se parece al cuento de la sirenita que después se convirtió en la película de La sirenita de Disney, sin embargo Ponyo sobre el acantilado es más una historia de la fuerte amistad que se da entre los niños, ancianos y adultos, unos seres maravillosos sacados más de la cabeza de Miyazaki que del fondo marino y de la fuerza que llega a tener la naturaleza.

El arte es muy destacable, muy parecida a las anteriores obras de Studio Ghibli, pero esta vez con una animación, pienso, muy artesanal, me refiero a que no se ve que se haya abusado de la computadora, más bien parce que todo fue dibujado cuadro por cuadro, coloreado y al fin animado para que lo veamos en pantalla.

El papá de Ponyo al inicio de la película

Mi opinión y porque cuando he hablado de películas siempre pongo un número es 10/10, pero nunca perdiendo de vista que es una película dirigida a niños muy pequeños.

Aprovechen que pocas veces hay la oportunidad de disfrutar una película animada japonesa en nuestros cines, además no creo que dure mucho en las salas de cine, si ya de por sí solo está en una y de las más pequeñas.

El acantilado

Für die Oscar Verleihung 2010 steht schon eines bereits jetzt fest: die Kategorie des Animationsfilm wird im sechsten Jahr seit Bestehen eine bedeutende Rolle spielen. So ist vor allem der neue Pixar Film “Oben” ein ganz heißer Kandidat für eine Doppelnominierung, da der Film aktuell für die Kategorien “Bester Film” und “Bester Animationsfilm” gehandelt wird. Würde das eintreffen, wäre das erst die zweite Nominierung eines Animationsfilm für die Königsdisziplin neben “Die Schöne und das Biest” im Jahr 1991.

Aber auch die Kategorie des Animationsfilmes wird 2010 wahrscheinlich eine weitaus größere Rolle spielen als in den Jahren zuvor, da es wohl erstmals 16 oder mehr zulässige Bewerbungen für die Kategorie geben wird, womit dann fünf Filme in der Kategorie “Bester Animationsfilm” nominiert wären. Als heiße Kandidaten für die Kategorie werden aktuell “Oben”, “Monsters vs. Aliens”, “Coraline”, “9″, “Disney’s Eine Weihnachtsgeschichte”, “Wolkig mit Aussicht auf Fleischbällchen”, aber auch “Küss den Frosch” oder “Ponyo” gehandelt. Damit hat man ein sehr großes Spektrum an unterschiedlichen Animationsfilmen, die von klassischer, handgezeichneter Animation, über moderne 3D Animation und speziell für 3D Kinos konzipierte Filme reicht.

Quelle: ABC News

Good morning, everybody! I’ve got a few quick news blips from the last few weeks that you might want to read! These are in order based on how they arrived in my RSS feed.

• Boxee and Crunchyroll team up? For the good of humanity!
• Proof that Studio Ghibli could write a story about a pair of scissors and it would sell like hotcakes.
• Fans of Haruhi Suzumiya and Gintama rejoice! New movies announced.
• New Anime convention for our corn-whisperer friends.
• Something that makes the Guy Nerd very happy: are dubs on the way out?
• Excitement! Viz media is going to release 20th Century Boys anime over here!

That’s all I’ve got for you this week.  Look foward to next week’s podcast! We’ll see you then!

Voy a inaugurar con éste una serie de artículos especiales dedicados a los mejores estudios de animación, aquellos que se han destacado por méritos propios por encima del resto en la gran industria del Anime a lo largo de su fructífera historia. Como no podía ser de otra manera (y no creo que a nadie le extrañe si es seguidor habitual de este blog), el estudio que inaugurará esta serie de especiales va a ser el inigualable Studio Ghibli.

En Japón existen numerosos estudios de animación de lo más destacados. Por lo general encontramos una gran mayoría de estudios buenos, unos cuantos muy buenos, unos pocos magníficos y alguno que otro realmente excelente. Todo eso por una parte. Por otra, y a otro nivel, estaría simplemente el Studio Ghibli, fuera de cualquier calificación en las escalas convencionales.

El estudio adoptó su nombre de un término italiano, empleado por la aviación de ese país durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial para referirse al viento cálido del Sáhara. Algo que no extraña en absoluto conociendo que Hayao Miyazaki, uno de los fundadores y principal motor creativo del estudio, es un apasionado por todo lo referente a la cultura italiana en general y por el mundo de la aviación en particular.

Mientras la mayoría de los estudios de animación japoneses se conforman con hacer obras de buena calidad, con mayor o menor fortuna en su resultado final, el Studio Ghibli no tiene manías: tan solo se dedica a hacer Obras de arte. Siempre fiel además a su estilo de emplear técnicas de animación tradicional y alejado por completo del uso de las tecnologías más modernas. Ésto lógicamente tiene una única pega: que las producciones artesanales del Studio Ghibli no vean la luz tan a menudo como las obras de otras compañías, produciendo la factoría Ghibli por lo general tan solo un largometraje cada varios años, pero desde luego que la espera merece siempre la pena.

El Studio Ghibli fue fundado en 1985 por dos grandes artistas: el genial Hayao Miyazaki e Isao Takahata, su mentor y colega de profesión, con el que había trabajado ya desde hacía años en obras míticas como Heidi, Marco o Conan: el niño del futuro (estas dos últimas realizadas para la gran Nippon Animation). Hayao Miyazaki además había dirigido films clásicos como Lupin III: El castillo de Cagliostro y algunos episodios de la recordada serie Sherlock Hound, mientras que Takahata por su parte había dirigido otros films igualmente míticos como Las aventuras de Hols: el príncipe del Sol. Estos grandes trabajos sin duda les fueron “curtiendo” para todo lo que vendría después, con las memorables obras del que sería ya su propio estudio: el Studio Ghibli. De hecho, y es una opinión personal, Conan: el niño del futuro debería considerarse por su estilo y elementos como una obra 100% “Ghibli”, aún siendo varios años anterior a la fundación del estudio.

El impacto que han tenido los largometrajes de este mítico estudio tanto en Japón como en el resto del mundo ha sido extraordinario, con unos inolvidables films rebosantes de encanto, originalidad, ternura y muy especialmente por enaltecer el amor por la naturaleza y exhibir los mejores valores humanos (bondad, generosidad, compañerismo, espíritu de sacrificio, etc.)

Precisamente por el estilo general y los valores que transmiten sus películas, a Hayao Miyazaki se le ha considerado a menudo como el “Walt Disney” japonés (aunque este apelativo sería mejor emplearlo con un pionero como Osamu Tezuka). Pero aunque el público destinatario de sus films puede parecer de corta edad en un principio, ello se debe tan solo a la estética habitual de los mismos (un dibujo amable, sencillo y encantador), como precisamente también ocurre con las mejores películas de la factoría Disney, que en realidad tienen un público de lo más amplio, pues cada franja de edad puede hacer su propia lectura sobre la película (algo que dice mucho de la calidad argumental de la misma, expresamente trabajada para resultar atractiva a públicos de todas las edades).

Las películas del Studio Ghibli cuentan con infinidad de reconocimientos y premios a todos los niveles, incluído por ejemplo el Oscar que logró El viaje de Chihiro, o numerosos galardones en los más variados festivales de cine de todo el mundo. A raíz de su gran estima popular, el estudio abrió su propio museo a las afueras de Tokyo: el Museo Ghibli. En Japón, si no fuera porque tienen Emperador, sin duda veríamos la efigie de Miyazaki en las monedas y billetes del país del Sol naciente, de lo que se le llega a venerar allí. Personajes como Totoro son “figuras nacionales”, al nivel de Godzilla, Gamera, Astroboy, Mazinger Z o Doreamon. Insultar o burlarse de Miyazaki o de cualquiera de sus obras resulta del todo inconcebible, tan solo propio de enajenados, y su castigo está penado en Japón con la decapitación inmediata.

Apasionamientos a parte, veamos a continuación cuáles han sido las principales obras a lo largo de los años que han dado al Studio Ghibli todo el esplendor que atesora:

Nausicaä del valle del viento (1984)
de Hayao Miyazaki

Una epopeya de aventuras y fantasía post-apocalíptica protagonizada por la joven princesa Nausicaä, que luchará contra las amenazas que se ciernen sobre su pueblo. Una fábula ecologista que adaptaba el Manga del propio Miyazaki, en la que la naturaleza era un personaje más como otro cualquiera.

El castillo en el cielo (1986)
de Hayao Miyazaki

El fantástico viaje de Pazu y Sheeta en busca del mítico castillo en el cielo (Laputa, mencionado en Los Viajes de Gulliver). Un largometraje sensacional en todos sus aspectos, sobre todo en su ambientación, música, personajes y ritmo narrativo. Personalmente es uno de mis films favoritos de Ghibli.

La tumba de las luciérnagas (1988)
de Isao Takahata

Una de las obras más impactantes del estudio, alejándose de su estilo habitual para dar una visión más dramática sobre los duros años que el conflicto bélico de la Segunda Guerra Mundial acarreó sobre la población japonesa. A través de los ojos de dos niños asistiremos a aquella época crucial.

Mi vecino Totoro (1988)
de Hayao Miyazaki

Las entrañables aventuras de dos jóvenes hermanas: Satsuki y Mei, en su nuevo hogar ubicado en una región rural, y el descubrimiento de los fantásticos seres que habitan por los alrededores. Una película rebosante de bondad, magia y ternura, que no nos cansaremos de ver una y otra vez.

Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
de Hayao Miyazaki

Las aventuras de una joven aprendiz de bruja, Kiki, que buscará abrirse camino en un mundo nuevo para ella. La ambientación (de clara inspiración mediterránea) y la pasión por volar son dos de los conocidos temas favoritos de Miyazaki, como puede comprobarse a lo largo de toda su trayectoria.

Recuerdos del ayer (1991)
de Isao Takahata

Un tema recurrente en las obras del Studio Ghibli ha sido el contraste entre la ajetreada vida urbana frente a las bondades de la vida rural. En esta película veremos el regreso de Taeko Okajima a su pueblo natal, donde acabará replanteándose si marchar a trabajar a la ciudad fue la mejor opción.

Pòrco Rósso (1992)
de Hayao Miyazaki

Probablemente la obra maestra de su creador y de todo el Studio Ghibli, aunque La Princesa Mononoke y El viaje de Chihiro quizá hayan alcanzado mayor renombre. Las aventuras de Porco Rosso y Fio en la Italia de entreguerras son una maravilla para los sentidos, una auténtica Obra maestra.

Puedo escuchar el mar (1993)
de Tomomi Mochizuki

El Studio Ghibli no solo ha filmado grandes historias de fantasía repletas de magia y devoción por las tradiciones populares, sino que también nos ha contado historias de lo más reales como la de Puedo escuchar el mar, donde asistiremos a un triángulo amoroso entre jóvenes estudiantes de instituto.

Pompoko (1994)
de Isao Takahata

Una de las obras más conocidas de Takahata junto con La tumba de las luciérnagas. En Pompoko asistiremos la gran epopeya de los tanukis, en su lucha contra el avance de nuestra civilización moderna. Una película larga y compleja, que hará las delicias de los amantes de las tradiciones populares.

On Your Mark (1995)
de Hayao Miyazaki

Ghibli se ha especializado en los largometrajes a lo largo de su trayectoria, pero también podemos encontrar un pequeño cortometraje: On Your Mark, de tan solo 7 minutos de duración, que nos contaba las andanzas de dos policías que ayudaban a escapar a una extraña chica dotada de alas.

Susurros del corazón (1995)
de Yoshifumi Kondô

Una encantadora producción que nos contaba la historia de una joven apasionada por los libros y su primer romance de adolescencia. El elemento fantástico en esta ocasión correrá a cargo del gato Baron, que repetiría en el posterior largometraje de Haru en el reino de los gatos.

La princesa Mononoke (1997)
de Hayao Miyazaki

Una de las obras más celebradas del Studio Ghibli, por crítica y público. No en vano fue elegida aquél año por Japón para la carrera hacia los Oscars, por encima de películas de imagen real. La película narraba las aventuras de Mononoke, una princesa salvaje, en su enfrentamiento contra la civilización.

Mis vecinos los Yamadas (1999)
de Isao Takahata

Una de las producciones con un estilo más personal y diferenciado en la trayectoria del Studio Ghibli. Se trataba de una serie de episodios cortos que narraban las anécdotas en la vida cotidiana de la familia japonesa de los Yamadas, siendo las diversas relaciones familiares el tema principal de la obra.

El viaje de Chihiro (2001)
de Hayao Miyazaki

Ganadora de innumerables premios, entre ellos el Oscar de aquél año, esta película es una auténtica delicia para la vista. Su ambientación es colosal, así como su música (obra como siempre del gran Joe Hisaishi). Sin duda uno de los mayores orgullos en la exitosa trayectoria del Studio Ghibli.

Haru en el reino de los gatos (2002)
de Hiroyuki Morita

Una película algo sencilla y de un carácter más cómico de lo habitual entre las producciones de Ghibli, que sin demasiadas pretensiones se limitaba a contarnos una divertida historia en la que uno de sus grandes atractivos era ver de nuevo al célebre Baron, el gato parlante de Susurros del corazón.

El castillo ambulante (2006)
de Hayao Miyazaki

Otra nueva demostración de todo el talento de Hayao Miyazaki en estado puro. Un film que visualmente quita el hipo, con una ambientación y una historia fabulosas (y una de las mejores partituras de Hisaishi). Las aventuras de Sophie y el gran mago Howl llegarán sin duda a tocar nuestra fibra sensible.

Cuentos de Terramar (2006)
de Goro Miyazaki

Primer filme dirigido por el hijo de Hayao Miyazaki, Goro. Solo por esta circunstancia la película fue criticada sin piedad por los medios, siendo en mi opinión una producción entretenida y visualmente muy atractiva, que debería valorarse por sus propios méritos y no por llevar el apellido famoso de nadie.

Ponyo en el acantilado (2008)
de Hayao Miyazaki

La última producción del Studio Ghibli hasta la fecha, y también la última dirigida hasta el momento por Hayao Miyazaki. En Ponyo en el acantilado reviviremos el mito de “La Sirenita” desde el particular punto de vista japonés, con una niña-pez llamada Ponyo que desea conocer el mundo de los humanos.

Además de todas estas películas, el Studio Ghibli también ha participado en diversos anuncios comerciales para T.V., así como en algún que otro videojuego, como en el diseño de personajes para Jade Cocoon de Genki (para PlayStation), contando con el trabajo del Katsuya Kondo (diseñador de personajes de Kiki’s Delivery Service y Puedo escuchar el mar) o el reciente Ni No Kuni: The Other World del prestigioso estudio Level 5 (para Nintendo DS).

Y hasta aquí ha llegado nuestro recorrido por la increíble producción de este irrepetible estudio de animación llamado Ghibli. Sus inolvidables films han pasado ya a la historia del Anime con letras de oro, obsequiándonos con unos maravillosos relatos que siempre guardaremos en lo más profundo de nuestros corazones aventureros y soñadores. Esperamos ya con ansias el que será su próximo proyecto: Taketori Monogatari, la adaptación del cuento tradicional japonés del cortador de bambú y la princesa de la Luna, previsto para el próximo año 2010 y que contará con la dirección de Isao Takahata. Desde aquí solo podemos decir con gran humildad y emoción: gracias por existir, Studio Ghibli.

In anticipation of the 11/10 DVD release of Up, giddy fans gathered Monday evening at the Cubberley Theater in Silicon Valley to enjoy a special Commonwealth Club presentation by Scott Clark, Lead Animator at Pixar Animation Studios. His reel included a behind the scenes look at life at Pixar, the late nights, the swanky lounges.  The audience oohed and aahed as he talked about visits by famed animators like Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. Then he showed the process of boarding, layout, and animating - talked about how it all starts with an idea, like an old man holding balloons, then it’s about the story, quoting John Lasseter, the story is king, if the script isn’t any good, it isn’t worth making, then it’s the editing, it’s always cheaper to redraw than to rebuild – showing pre-vis art and scratch dialogue of scenes that didn’t make it into the final cut.  For set dressing, the team went to Angel Falls, Venezuela to gather images of other-worldly plant life and rock formations for inspiration and reference. For character building, they even brought an ostrich, Ed Asner, a dog behavioralist, etc. to the studio.  He talked about humor, what is funny is what we know.  Then he closed with casting is key, the boy who was the voice of Russell was not an actor but discovered while his brother was auditioning.

ENCORE! When the program ended, Scott took a seat on the edge of the stage to hangout with his fans. In the crowd were tweens, fan boys, and up-and-coming animators like Robert Lazzarini, Animation Director for episode two of  Nova’s Becoming Human.  They chatted about Maya being as good as some of the proprietary tools used in the industry, how CG lends itself to an immersive world and hand-animated movies is best with lush flat graphics, Cal Arts being the top school in the field, RISD’s alumni including himself, Avatar’s Bryan Konietzko and Family Guy’s Seth MacFarlane, AnimationMentor a respected online school taught by pros from Pixar, ILM, Sony.  He talked about Pixar being at 1000 employees now, expected to grow to 1300, hiring specialized talent.  He suggested those getting started look to the animation houses like Dreamworks and PDI, as well as the gaming industry. Lastly, he talked about the importance of drawing, there are 1000 bad drawings in you, so to get to the good ones start now.  And then he left them smitten with his Twitter ID and autographed drawings of Dug.  In full disclosure, I was the producer of the event but I have never seen an audience at the Club so thoroughly engaged.  Many thanks to Scott for a great evening!!!

Hey everyone,

On October 15th it was my big sister’s birthday, and while I want to give her something she’d love – I’m not buying stuff made in china.

Really nowadays I try my best to make every present I need to give and if I really can’t think of anything fitting that I could actually pull off then I buy something handmade from someone on Folksy.

But this time I had a good idea of what to make.

She is a huge fan of anime (japanese animation) and one of the things that she and I both absolutely love are the Studio Ghibli series of films. A few weeks ago we were in St.Ives, Cornwall visiting my mum (who does brilliant tours of the town) and there was a shop full of all kinds of awesome Japanese stuff. In particular there was all sorts of products based on my absolute favourite (and I think my sister’s favourite) Ghibli movie: My Neighbour Totoro.

I thought at the time that some of them would be great presents for my sister but the problem was that they were all cheaply made in china. So I’d noted it in my head and while I was wondering what to make her months later, like a leaf floating down onto the forest floor of my mind – I remembered that note. I could make little Totoro figures out of salt dough!

So first thing’s first: I needed to make salt dough.

Done and done

Salt dough is really easy to make. It’s just white flour, cooking salt and water. I’ve got the ‘recipe’ somewhere, but not to hand so just message me or do a quick google search and you’ll find one. It seemed to go very well, but was very loose when it got warm and it was seeming like I’d never be able to make these figures. I just couldn’t get the right shapes, and even when I did they’d droop down and end up all wrong within a minute (I got very upset). So I went back to the kitchen and kneeded in more flour (I did this 4 times over two days) and eventually I had good, firm, non-drooping salt dough. So really, I wouldn’t bother contacting me for the recipe. Find your own. =)

So then I just searched on google images for some pictures of totoro and his friends. My plan was to make Tororo himself, the little blue forest spirit and the even smaller white forest spirit. So I set about with my recently firmed-up dough to make their bodies.

They all started off looking something like this.

I then began getting them painted, which at first seemed very easy but little did I know just how scary and difficult it was going to get. The only difficulty at this stage was getting the colour of Totoro’s fur right. But with a bit of experimenting, I managed to get it looking pretty good.

They don't look great just yet, but they're getting closer.

So as my sister’s birthday edged ever closer, I got onto the hardest part of all – the details. The faces and markings on their bellies had to be reproduced accurately otherwise they’d just look wrong. I took a few evenings of trying, letting it dry, painting over it, letting that dry and then trying again. Thank god I started when I did! It was taking a long time to get these finished to a standard I was happy with. Thankfully though, with a lot of effort and studying of images from the movie and images of the figures you can buy online – eventually I had succeeded:

The damn things are so shiny the photo isn't great, but you can see I succeeded. What's difficult to see is Totoro's slight smile.

Here's Totoro on his own. (still being all shiny...grr.)

This was the best photo of him I've got. But isn't he cool?

I touched up his eyes in this photo a bit as they were barely visible from the shiny-ness. Isn't he cute?

Thanks to Dan Jackson (who is a genius) for taking photos of them for me (as while rushing I somehow forgot to take my own photos of the finished creations.) Also thanks to Studio Ghibli for conceiving such a wonderful film with such great characters. Everyone go and see this film! (and all the others!)

So there you go. I hope you enjoyed getting to see the process, I enjoyed sharing it. (any chance to share the wonderfulness that is Totoro really!)

Thanks for reading, see you again soon I hope,

Happy Vibes,

Joe

Reestreno en salas de cine españolas de la película de Hayao Miyazaki, Mi vecino Totoro.

Es una producción de Studio Ghibli del año 1988, con guión original y dirigida por Hayao Miyazaki.

Trata de una familia japonesa que se traslada al campo, en los años 50. Las dos hijas, Satsuki y Mei, tropiezan con un espíritu del bosque llamado Totoro, con el que entablan amistad. El padre potencia la imaginación de sus hijas con fábulas e historias mágicas sobre duendes, fantasmas del bosque hasta que un día reciben una noticia…

Se reestrenó el día 30 de octubre en las mejores salas y es una gran oportunidad para poder disfrutar de esta animación en un marco inmejorable.

Se trata de una de las grandes obras maestras del autor, nombrada por la revista británica Time Out como la mejor película de animación de la historia.

Soy un gran admirador de Hayao Miyazaki, y todas las producciones de Studio Ghibli.

Bajo mi punto de vista todo su carrera ha sido ejemplar y de una calidad altísima, desde que empezase animando a los personajes de Heidi en las escena de “acción” (cuando correteaban por el campo, por ejemplo), pasando por su manga Nausicaä, del Valle del viento, hasta hoy en día. Me parece que es uno de los pocos estudios de animación que alcanzan una calidad tan alta en sus trabajos con animaciones tan bien realizadas superando incluso a Disney. Como reconocimiento de los medios le otorgaron un Óscar por la película El viaje de Chihiro y un Oso de oro en la Berlinale.

Todos sus personajes, sus historias, sus películas, sus dibujos… tienen una magia especial que nos hace disfrutar a todos, a los niños y a los más mayores, sacando a renacer ese niño que tenemos dentro de nuestro corazón.

Ha marcado un antes y un después en el mundo de la animación.

Enlace directo a la web oficial de Studio Ghibli

Enlace directo a la web Studio Ghibli.net

Trailer de la película

You can thank Winamp and it’s non-random random shuffling for this post.

I have a super condensed anime music playlist that I like to listen to; it’s only 230 songs long and there’s a handful of songs on this list that when I’m in the right mood will get me to shed a tear. Last night I wasn’t much in the mood but out-of-the-blue Winamp starts playing every sad song on the list in a row and even repeating some more than once so now I’m in that mood.

It’s probably not a good idea to marathon a Key series right now so instead I’ll write this post.

Oh, and there’s some spoilers so read at your own risk.

Natsukage – from AIR

Let’s start off with an obvious show that could generate a tear inducing song – AIR. This anime holds the personal record for the most tears shed while watching it (Clannad is a close second). See, I was a relatively new anime watcher at the time, mainly subsisting on a diet of shounen shows and wasn’t aware of the emotional depths that could be found in anime. It also didn’t help that I had absolutely no knowledge of what to expect and was lulled into a false sense of security by it’s light-hearted start. Therefore, when the story turned tragic, I wasn’t ready for it and ended up crying for just about every remaining episode.

Natsukage is the name of the instrumental track that KyoAni used for many of the emotional scenes during AIR and thus when I hear it, I’m reminded of those scenes.

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Koikogarete Mita Yume – from Cross Game

The show’s first closing is another song that can bring me to tears and was able to from the very first time I heard it, which was in episode 1.

That episode completely blew me away. I wasn’t expecting to see enough character building and tragedy to fill most series all within those 24 minutes and by playing this song at the saddest scene meant that I’d always link this song to that first episode. Nor has that episode and that song lost it’s power to move the viewer, recently the animators essentially reshowed the first episode in it’s entirety for the episode 30 recap.

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Kanon by Pachebel – from Kanon

The wedding standard got repurposed for another of Key’s works – Kanon. This time, the characters actually referenced the song in the show and provided a strong means for the viewers to attach the often tragic nature of Kanon to the song. At least when I hear this song in public it’ll probably be at a wedding and it’ll be more socially acceptable to cry to it.

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“Libera me” From Hell – from Gurren Lagann

I’m convinced that Gurren Lagann is one of the greatest anime ever made and should be required watching for, not only those who profess to be an anime fan, but also for every single kid that grows up watching the insipid tv shows that pass for kid’s shows these days.

This song was used in many places throughout the show, primarily when it was time for the good guys to kick butt which makes it a strange song to cry over. And it would be but for it’s use during one of the best scenes to Gurren Lagann which happened in episode 26. The hero of the show, Simon, was given the choice between the easy way out and the harder path that true heroism calls for. He chooses the path of heroism and as a result is able to break himself and his comrades out of a devious trap laid by the enemy. The whole scene is very emotional, a testament to Gainax’s stellar character development and story telling ability, and having this track play during the entire scene meant that those emotions come back whenever hear it.

And within the entire scene there’s a small part that absolutely gets to me every single time I see it. The trap that Simon breaks everyone out of gives each person the ability to live in whatever dream world they wish for. One of the people trapped is Viral; he’s a beastman which means he looks human but was created sterile and he has a tough-as-nails personality so one would expect his dream world to be some sort Valhalla battlefield but it’s not – it’s living in a little cottage in a country meadow with a wife and a daughter that calls him “Papa”.

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Dango Daikazoku – from Clannad

Yes, another song from a Key/KyoAni anime, this time it’s from Clannad. This was used as the first season ending but it wasn’t until the second season that this became tear inducing. Though in the case of Dango Daikazoku (or “Big Dango Family”), the song brings tears from being linked to the tragic parts to Clannad and also from the happy parts.

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Love is a Flower, You are a Seed – from Only Yesterday

In many ways Only Yesterday is my favorite Studio Ghibli work so I find it an absolute travesty that it’s the only Studio Ghibli movie not released in America.

This is the only song that exclusively makes me shed tears from happiness alone. It’s the end song to Only Yesterday and the animators had it playing while the movie had it’s climatic scene before going to credits. So, like the others, those emotions got transferred to the song and hearing this song gets to me every time.

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Anyone else want to share? Or is everyone too busy getting in the Halloween mood today?

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Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke em inglês) é um longa-metragem em animação produzido em 1997, pelo Studio Ghibli, e dirigido pelo aclamadíssimo diretor Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki, conhecido como o “Disney japonês”, dirigiu inúmeras obras clássicas do cinema animado, como Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbour Totoro/Meu Vizinho Totoro), Hauru no Ugoku Shiro (Howl’s Moving Castle/O Castelo Animado) e Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away/A Viagem de Chihiro), o único filme japonês a ganhar o Oscar de Melhor Animação). Porém, tal apelido chega a ser uma injustiça, pois a qualidade de muitas de suas animações chegam a superar facilmente as obras de sua “contraparte” americana. Mas chega de explicações, pois o que realmente importa aqui é o filme. E como importa!

Mononoke Hime conta a história de dois personagens: Ashitaka, jovem príncipe Emishi que, após salvar seu vilarejo de um javali possuído por um espírito maligno (Tatari-gami), é amaldiçoado com uma praga que consumirá sua vida aos poucos, fazendo com que perca o controle de seu braço – e posteriormente, de todo o corpo, enquanto é devorado por dentro. Ele parte de seu vilarejo em busca de uma cura para tal maldição, antes que seja tarde demais, seguindo apenas o rastro de destruição deixado pelo javali.

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Na busca pela cura, Ashitaka atravessa uma floresta habitada por Kodamas (segundo o folclore japonês, são pequenos espíritos que protegem a floresta e vivem em árvores), indicando que é um lugar puro, ainda não dominado por humanos. Ele também vê de relance um grande cervo, com vários chifres, e uma garota misteriosa, cuidando dos ferimentos de um lobo. Ashitaka também encontra dois homens feridos, e guiado pelos kodamas, chegam a Tatara Ba, cidade governada por Lady Eboshi. Eboshi é responsável por proteger a cidade e faz o possível para proteger seus habitantes, além de empregar a todos. Porém, Eboshi e toda a cidade está em guerra contra os animais ferozes e espíritos que atacam constantemente a cidade – em especial, uma garota que está sempre acompanhada de lobos, conhecida somente como “Princesa Mononoke“. Após a revelação da identidade da garota, dos lobos e dos cervos, Ashitaka decide encontrar um meio de fazer com que humanos e animais possam conviver pacificamente.

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Mononoke Hime não é como os outros filmes do gênero, com uma mensagem clichê de como humanos são maus e devem ser exterminados do planeta; aqui, os personagens humanos são claramente humanos, querendo apenas a auto-preservação e a preservação dos próximos. Mas esse também é o objetivo dos animais e dos espíritos da floresta, e todo o conflito gira em torno disso. Não há um verdadeiro vilão em Mononoke Hime; talvez a personagem título, San, seja um pouco extremista, assim como sua pior “inimiga”, Lady Eboshi. Mas nessa batalha, sem heróis nem vilões, os maiores prejudicados são Ashitaka, que tudo que quer é se curar de sua condião e encontrar um meio de fazer com que ambos convivam, e principalmente, a própria natureza.

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Não é difícil elogiar Mononoke Hime: a qualidade de animação é impecável, assim como a trilha sonora excelente, composta por Joe Hisaishi, que também compôs a trilha sonora de vários outros clássicos do Studio Ghibli. Mas onde Mononoke Hime mais acerta é em sua história. Envolvente do início ao fim, com personagens extremamente bem construídos e até mesmo amáveis – sejam os humanos, animais ou espíritos. Há uma lição de moral bem óbvia no filme, mas sem chegar perto de nenhum clichê do filme do gênero. Se todo filme ambientalista seguisse esse padrão, talvez ativistas do Greenpeace não precisassem ter tanto… trabalho.

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Mas além de ser uma história sobre a natureza, Mononoke Hime também é uma história sobre o amor. Ashitaka se apaixona por Sen à primeira vista, e está disposto a arriscar a própria vida por ela. Embora inicialmente possa parecer um amor não retribuído, Sen deixa de lado seu ódio contra humanos e passa a lutar ao lado dele, protegê-lo de outros seres que possam atacá-lo por sua humanidade e, mais importante, compartilhar o amor com ele.

Mononoke Hime foi lançado no Ocidente apenas em 1999, dois anos depois de seu lançamento original. Obviamente, algumas modificações foram feitas, como Tatara-Ba ser chamada de Iron Town, Shishigami de “Espírito da Floresta“, entre outras. Apesar disso, a adaptação (escrita por Neil Gaiman!) é extremamente fiel à obra original e até hoje aclamadas como uma das melhores adaptações de anime já feitas. Infelizmente, foi um fracasso comercial no Ocidente, e poucos tiveram a oportunidade de conhecer esse clássico da animação.

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Recomendo que todos vejam as duas versões de Mononoke Hime para conhecer as diferenças e opinar qual versão é melhor. Aliás, recomendo que vejam não só uma vez, mas várias vezes, para se encantar cada vez mais com essa obra-prima.

I’m a bit late on this. It’s been up for a couple days. But here’s my second news-related video. Ponyo has become America’s 5th highest grossing anime movie in the box office. So, how does it compare to other movies?

http://www.thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/marzgurl/ane/12908-ep02

Been tooling around with the layout. I should have maybe a demo up pretty shortly. I want it to have a similar color scheme to MarzGurlProductions.com. I’m pretty fond of it, and I’ve missed talking to Basic Bee, the guy who first helped me design it.

Is anyone else out there participating in NaNoWriMo? It’d be cool to have others to chat along with or psych up with to get it done.

Stay cool, all!

Today we are travelling to South America and Japan. One journey I will take only once, the other I can’t wait to take again.
The Colombian road movie Los Viajes del Viento has two strengths that make up for many of its conventional traits: It never descends into a too typical South American sentimentality and it has the luxury of taking place in a geography that is seldom seen on films. The story is about an old, taciturn accordion master who recently lost his wife, and the young boy who may be his son. The old master wants to travel across the entire country in order to give back his accordion to his master. As legend will have it, he once won the instrument in a duel with the devil. The boy sees apprenticeship with the old man as his only possibility to make something of himself and thus follows his unwilling companion stubbornly through some spectacular landscape and hairy situations.

While beautiful to look at, the film didn’t really stand out in any particular way. You could substitute the old accordionist with, say, a kung fu master, or a literature professor, or any old sage with a special gift to impart on the young, and the basic story would pretty much be the same. And in the history of films, God knows this has been done again and again. The accordion only really comes to the fore in an early duel with a younger braggart in a music contest. Like the rapper’s duels in Curtis Hanson’s 8 Mile, the accordion contest consists in psyching out one’s opponent by rhyme and insult while sticking to the chosen accordion tune. It may sound far fetched, but this part of the film really worked.

The travelogue, or road movie, is often an excellent way of highlighting a country’s geography and supporting the local tourist industry. Often, the tourist industry will help finance the film if the country is represented as a series of tourist vistas. This being Colombia, I’m not convinced that the ploy will be entirely successful, but we, the audience, win anyway. Especially since most of us will not get the chance – or take the chance – of visiting the country, I can’t think of a better way to be able to experience Colombia’s breathtaking natural vistas than in the comfort of the cinema chair, where the most immediate danger is an aneurysm triggered by some popcorn-munching moron by our side.

Ultimately, the film is worth seeing for its depiction of nature and the very varied geography – or geology. The stone formations towards the end were a sight to behold, as was the endless salt flats, the village built almost on the lake itself, and the Indian village atop a mountain. I have not seen exactly these sights before and felt fortunate to witness them in this way. The film also strikes up some laconic humoristic moments and I did chuckle a time or two. As for the main plot, I didn’t feel that it resolved itself entirely satisfactorily, but, as is my habit in these posts about films that most have not yet seen, I shan’t be spoiling the end here. The titular symbol of the travelling wind has a double bottom, referring both to the literal wind that has shaped the country and the various wind instruments. There is a scene where the wind blows through a piece of wood with a whistling sound, perhaps telling us that the tradition of these men has its roots in nature itself, in a time before Man, and that all we contribute are complications of that theme.

Hirokazu Kore-eda has made some seven films, not including his TV-work and some short films. Unfortunately not all of these are readily available in the west. His first film, Maborosi, an Ozu-style examination of a young widow trying to find a new lease on life after the loss of her husband , had a limited international run. But it was his second feature, the often wonderful After Life, which made him into a household name, if that house was an art house. (Yes, I know, bad pun…) In 2001 he made Distance, perhaps inspired by the gas attacks of a suicide cult in Japan; the Aum cult’s nerve gas attack on the city’s subway system. Then came Nobody Knows, which got a wider release and was nominated in Cannes and won a number of Asian awards. The story of a group of children left to their own devices after their mother takes off, was a masterpiece of naturalistic acting. Kore-eda directed over almost two years, and the children visibly live in the film. There are scenes in Nobody Knows that should break most hearts that are not already irredeemably broken. In 2006, two years after Nobody Knows, he made Hana, about a samurai who doesn’t really want to be a samurai. He is no good at fighting and wishes he could spend his days helping the poor people of the village in which he takes up residence. His very latest film is Air Doll, about a blow up sex doll that turns human Pinocchio-style. I have not seen this yet, but those that have, comment that it is remarkable in that the film never is exploitative, nor even is interested in the sexual aspects of this offbeat story. The film is more about what it means to be human and the innocence of the non-human in comparison. The first thing the doll learns after becoming human with a beating heart, is to lie.

This lengthy introduction is spurred by my absolute satisfaction with Kore-eda’s penultimate film, made in 2008, and shown this day in the BIFF-festival. Still Walking is perhaps the first perfect film I’ve seen this year. I really can’t find any faults with it. The only film coming near it in quality is the Swedish Burrowing, which I spoke of in a former post. The two films have in common that they are influenced by other directors. In Kore-eda’s case, the spectre of Japanese master, Yasujirō Ozu, is present, but not overwhelming, while in Burrowing, Terrence Malick is perhaps an even more present godfather.

The majority of Still Walking takes place within 24 hours, but including the epilogue, the time covered is three years. The real scope of the film, however, reaches much longer, as both the past and the future is so implicit in these 24 hours, that the film nears an almost general understanding of the human situation, particularly our place in the everlasting links between generations, from the very first to the last. I was most impressed by the way in which the director achieved this generality from a very specific time in a specific family.

A man who has just lost his job brings for the first time his wife, who is a widow, and her son to the annual family reunion. He clearly is not on good terms with his mother and father; “you should call your mother more often“, the father tells him. “I can’t stand listening to all her complaints“, the son answers. The father is a retired doctor who feels useless and socially in a no-man’s land, as he hasn’t anyone to continue his practice, and therefore must still play the role of village doctor himself, even though he is not up to it.

Seemingly, much of the reason for the family’s strained relationship, is that the eldest son lost his life in a drowning accident many years before, while saving a young boy from the waves. This son was the father’s favourite, and is in hindsight made to have represented the hopes for the family’s future. Every time the conversation begins to run more or less easily, the mother mentions some details about the dead son, and the family is thrown back into non-communication.

The reason for the reunion, is indeed that it marks the anniversary for the son’s death. Also present here is a sister with her husband and two children, who the father finds noisy. We can only assume that had the dead son had any children, they would be just as noisy. This is a film where I don’t want to tell much about the plot, as much of the enjoyment comes from gradually piecing together the dynamics of the family and just what has gone wrong in their lives. It is never -apart from the death of the son, which paradoxically has brought them together – the big, life-changing events that make these people be who they are, what they have become. Kore-eda is a master in communicating much bigger truths by very small movements and glances. Sometimes he lets a phrase linger a bit longer than necessary in order for us to grasp not only the context of the phrase, the feeling behind it, but its consequences, insignificant as they may seem before we have the entire picture.

It’s a cliché, but movies is really a universal language. I almost can’t think of better ways for us to see the common humanity between us all, than by immersing ourselves in works by masterful directors like Kore-eda. I felt more recognition in this film than in any Hollywood work I can recall. Nothing sudden or life-changing happens in the film, yet I felt a wiser person after having seen it, perhaps even wanting to be a better person. In this film, the characters don’t have “arcs”, as they evidently teach in Hollywood script classes. The characters that we observe become persons more than characters, and persons, for the most part, don’t suddenly learn something or change just because they have attended a family dinner, even though a number of American Thanksgiving films want us to believe this. They go on with their lives, as best they can, or maybe not even that.

What makes the film magic to me is also a consequence of the characters not only being oblivious to their shortcomings that we as spectators can detect in them, but that they actually go on living as if there never was anything particularly important about the day we have spent with them. They just go on, or as the film says in its title, they are still walking. (This phrase also comes up in a song the grandmother insists on playing on an old record player, and which she says she has a special relationship to. The song so subtly illuminates something of the past of the characters that we don’t quite grasp it before a shot of the grandfather doctor’s later reaction. The world of memories and forgotten times that comes into light here is staggering).

The only hint of sentimentality in the film, is when the unemployed son’s voiceover comments on what has happened in the three years since the family dinner. The words are spoken very matter of factly, but that very restraint is heartbreaking in its seeming neutrality to the lives that are commented. I would love to present the importance of the grandmother’s speech about butterflies and how that speech is reproduced later on, but this is such an integral part of the experience that I must leave it for the individual viewer to assess.

Not only is Kore-eda a master of presenting the social interaction and directing the actors into an almost completely naturalistic style, also his setting of the story deserves some mention. The film is shot in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, a seaside town with streets climbing upwards the mountainside from the sea. Seeing the wonderful locations, I couldn’t help but think of the kind of streets so typical of Studio Ghibli films, particularly Whisper of the Heart. There just is something very magnetic to me about this kind of setting, some serene quality that helps convince me that this site is ideal for the family home, a piece of childhood we all will always carry with us. The lack of the typical features of the big city helps the film to achieve a feeling not only of timelessness, but of placelessness. While very much a Japanese setting, the feeling is more general, of the kind of place that we find beautiful in hindsight, but that we had to move away from. The reasons probably felt important to us at the time, but any place we have lived in our formative years is bound to hold the ghosts of our younger selves in some way or another, still offering us possibilities of who we could have been had we by chance chosen differently.

Again, all this essaying runs the risk of making the film sound as if it could be boring. It is not. In fact, there are many scenes with a wonderful understated humour, not least in the comments by and about the grandmother and grandfather. As in any real grouping of human beings, be it a family or a group of friends, there is humour to be found in familiarity. Kore-eda, being concerned with reality, has the gift of finding the humour that springs from a common humanity, from recognition, even in the idiosyncratic. The actress You (yes, that is her stage name), who played the irresponsible mother in Nobody Knows, here gets the chance to use her quirky personality in a role that never seems as it is an imposed vehicle for her brand of acting. Her presence and comedic (her voice makes me think of a Japanese Meg Tilly) timing is so strong that when she leaves the film, we suddenly feel that we have been deprived of a comforting presence in what is, after all, a scary situation; reality. Or as close to reality as we want to come.

Offering us only a short glimpse into these characters’ lives, Kore-eda still makes us feel as if we’ve known them for a long time. His telling of this story is so effective that, even as we think that nothing very important happens, we get to learn everything that we need in order to fully grasp the situation as well as its ramifications. All the characters are given flesh and blood and lives that are not neatly solved by a contrived Hollywood script. Still, the miracle is that we don’t miss the solution, even though we’ve been indoctrinated to expect it. When all is said and done, we can leave and know that all is not said and it is not done. In fact, the way the characters are not able to come to terms with their shortcomings, or their disability to solve their conflicts, is the very thing that gives the piece such a powerful end. After this film, I really had to take some minutes to let the credits roll before I could or wanted to move. Those were good minutes.

I’m afraid I don’t have a great deal to say about the two films of the day. One of them was good, the other very good. They are both the first feature films of directors I think have the potential to make even better films.

9 is an animated film directed by Shane Acker. He is formerly known only for a short film, also called 9( you can see it by pressing link), which won an Oscar in 2005. I was a big fan of the short film and therefore had my hopes up for the expanded feature version. Unfortunately, the transition hasn’t been to the film maker’s advantage, at least not artistically.

What made the short film 9 such a unique creature was that it threw us smack into a world that seemed familiar and alien at the same time, never offering any explanations for what we saw or why. While having many of the characteristics of a post apocalyptic earth, the protagonist was a rag doll with the number 9 painted on his back. There were no humans in sight. Exploring this destroyed world, he came upon a monstrous creature that started an intense chase of the frail doll. He found a round metallic object that, put properly together, released ghostly forms of other rag dolls who faded away into the ether or afterlife. This was the plot, and I didn’t feel I needed to know more, really. There were no dialogue and this strengthened the pure chase concept. It was certainly clear that Acker had an eye for design and a good understanding of what makes animation work. His sense of movement and gravity in animation was particularly impressive.

For the feature length version, the chase of the short film constitutes the beginning of the film and yes, ghostly figures – souls of the dolls? – are released at the end. In between we have an hour of more chase scenes and so many stock situations that I wondered if the script writers had encountered some paint by numbers guide to how to write trite dialogue for scenes seen a hundred times before.

As in the short film, the character 9 starts out mute, but unfortunately that situation is quickly remedied. As soon as these dolls start speaking American, they lose a lot of mystery, but also intelligence, it seems. All of a sudden they spout feelings that are supposed to sound dramatic or even political, but comes off as something a child would say. And no, this is not intentional. “We must save him! You are a coward! I’m sorry! You can’t hide from reality!” For some reason, the script writers have only been able to think in exclamation points while writing the dialogue. The same heavy-handedness can be found in the plot as well; never offering dilemmas we haven’t seen many times before, spouting Disneyfied sentiments about the importance of sticking up for one‘s friends and reducing everything to a fight between the good guys and the bad guys, with no grey scales. This is where animation studios like Pixar and Studio Ghibli really excels, never going for the easiest solutions or indeed world views.

As the film, then, is never more than a question of getting from here to there, I found myself bored even by the generous amount of action taking place in the plot. What saves the film is that the animation is absolutely gorgeous and that Acker hasn’t lost his eye for design and for making the characters move in exciting and fresh ways. The world he has created is indeed fascinating and had the script been better, especially the dialogue, this could really have been something. As it is it is never more than entertaining, at times it is less.

I think I’ll blame one of the producers, Tim Burton, for this. Hell, I’m feeling magnanimous, I‘ll blame the other producer, Timur Bekmambetov, as well. For one thing, I guess it was Burton who made Pamela Pettler write the screenplay. She also had a finger in the screenplay for Burton’s Corpse Bride, so I assume her presence here is no coincidence. I have a feeling that all my objections to the dialogue should be directed to her, and to Burton. Let me take a moment to explain why I consider Burton poison to the film.

9 would probably not have been made without Burton’s name attached to it, so for that Acker must be grateful. But when did Burton really make a more than passable film? His latest, Sweeney Todd, had its moments, well helped by the dependability of Stephen Sondheim’s wonderful songs. Big Fish is a cinematic atrocity best forgotten. Sleepy Hollow should have been a horror film, but was turned into an exercise in style and quirkiness and never remotely scary. His two stop motion animation films, Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride, seem designed only to be different in concept from most mainstream animated features, but are they really that good? Sure, some of Danny Elfman’s music is catchy, but what is really the point of the films? That outsiders have feelings too? Burton is the cosy Goth, never daring to be different enough to be disturbing, intent on turning the borderline strange into the definite mainstream. Has he ever had any meaning behind his films other than the aforementioned call to accept the goth, the freak, the outsider? Subtle, he is not, and intelligence you have to search for elsewhere. After Edward Scissorhands, he should maybe have called it a day, realizing that he had made his masterpiece and not emulate the same formula again and again.

The point to make here, is that while the original short film of 9 retained much mystery and, by necessity of its format, perhaps, allowed the audience to actively make its own interpretations of what they were seeing. After Burton’s hands have fondled the package, every movement now has to be given a reason and that reason is never very interesting when you peel away the, grantedly, spectacular surface. Much like so many of Burton’s own films.

Pretty much all the protests I have directed at Burton’s cinema, I could also send the way of the film’s other producer, Timor Bekmambetov. He as well has made a career on pure surface, seemingly having little interest in what he is actually trying to say, or even accomplish, with his films. Daywatch, Nightwatch and Wanted all look very good, but have so many narrative problems that were they a person, Mel Gibson would seem sane in comparison.
While these big name producers ensured that Acker could bring “his vision” to the big screen, they also ensured that said vision would be severely diluted, turning all mystery into cliché and placing something that had aspirations of being original plump into the safety of the still waters of the mainstream. And that, my friends, is not where you catch the biggest fish, and certainly not the most succulent.

Sin Nombre is a film about people seeking escape because they have to. The young Honduran girl, Sayra, has no prospects in her own country and chooses to set out on the long journey towards USA with her father, who she hasn’t seen for many years. El Casper(or Willy, as he sometimes calls himself) is a young man – or boy – who has pledged his life to a local street gang, seemingly in perpetual war with the rival Los Chavalles. After he kills the leader for a number of reasons, he knows that his life is over, but chooses to make his way to USA as well, on the same train as Sayra. I don’t want to say more about the plot, again not to give away too much.

The director, Cary Fukunaga, has formerly made a short film about the subject of Mexican immigrants dying of overheating in a truck, trying to make their way into USA. However, Sin Nombre, separates itself from a number of films about the crossing over the Mexican/US border by treating USA almost as a MacGuffin. USA is some vague goal that we doubt will influence the proceedings in other ways than to bring the action forward.

The film is as much about the possibility of starting anew in a philosophical sense than in the particular case of USA as the necessary site of this renewal. More than that, it is about innocence and the limits of innocence; the mechanisms that taints us by some sin, some overstepping of a boundary we only realize that we have crossed when it’s too late to go back.

I hear that the director spent some time travelling on top of trains the same distance as the protagonists, in order to get a grip of what they are going through. This, if true, serves the film well, as the train riding scenes seem very realistic, while at the same time offering the director the opportunity to show how evil and good is often a question of the geography of chance.

I should not forget to mention that Sin Nombre works very well as a thriller. It shows us a world we don’t often see and there is not a false scene or sentiment in the film. The guns are primitive, and they don’t make the explosive noise of a Hollywood actioner, but they are just as deadly. And in many ways they are more fatal.

Nerds recommend Ponyo written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

Ponyo written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

Disney did a great job with the English version; voice-over’s are on point and the music is identical to the original Japanese Studio Ghibli version. Disney trailer below:

Japanese release is on December 8th, 2009. Japanese version will feature English subtitles and the Disney’s English dub. Great Christmas gift. US DVD release scheduled for March 2010.

With all these fantastic animations coming out Up, Coraline and Fantastic Mr Fox just to name a few, Timeout London has taken the time to list the 50 Greatest global animations of all time. Dare I say the best animations are naturally from studio ghibli, when disney was bragging about their new breakthrough in animation techniques for the Lion King My Neighbour Totoro has turned 6 years old. If you can get your hands on them watch all the studio ghibli movies. My latest ghibli love is Ponyo, I got the japanese version- it’s got more of an authentic feel to it, reading the subtitles and all. Can you imagine each frame was hand drawn?

I hope i’ll get that copy back from my work mate…