There was a time when I thought I was too adult and too mature for animated feature films. Happily, those misguided days are long gone.
I discovered the magical genius of Miyazaki with Spirited Away, sometime back in the early 2000s
Most recently, on the movie circuit, it’s productions like Candy Land that are getting everyone excited about graphics and such like. But I have to admit that what got me into the genre in the first place was no Hollywood endeavour, despite the admitted fabulousness of some Pixar and Disney offerings. I have two names for you: Hayao Miyazaki and Ghibli Studios.
I discovered the magical genius of Miyazaki with Spirited Away, sometime back in the early 2000s. Although this wasn’t the director’s first movie, it was the first one that pushed him into the mainstream limelight, so to speak. The movie went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and suddenly, out of nowhere, Miyazaki became a cult hit.
The movie hit all the right notes with children and adults. The storyline itself couldn’t be simpler – animation movies tend to be thus, and this somehow propagates the perception that the ideal audience is limited to kids. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The film opens with 10-year-old Chihiro throwing a temper tantrum as her parents are driving on the way to their new home. When her father takes a wrong turn, all mundane thoughts are forgotten as the family finds itself in an abandoned amusement park. Things take a surreal turn when her parents wind up being transformed into pigs and Chihiro is thrown in a parallel universe where magic reigns and nothing is as it seems to be. Her quest is to save her parents from retaining their pig form forever.
The plot itself might sound simple, but in reality it’s full of twists and turns and kept all the adults watching the movie with me on their toes.
However, if you ask me, it is the richness of the cinematography, not to mention the uniqueness of the characters that inhabit this world Miyazaki created, that render the film special.
After watching Spirted Away I added Miyazaki to my list of favourite directors. Beautiful as this film is, it is not my favourite work of his. Indeed, it is difficult to decide on a top choice. If it’s amazing visuals and dark romance that you enjoy, I’d go for Howl’s Moving Castle.
The plotline has everything that a fairytale should have... and then some. There’s a pretty, kind-hearted girl who is transformed into an old woman by a curse; a mysteriously good-looking and supposedly evil wizard and... wait for it... an honest-to-goodness moving castle.
The storyline reads like a more fantastical Grimm fairytale, with graphics to match. I’m not one of those who gets all fussy about screen size and monitor clarity, but even I will admit that you would do well to watch this one on a nice widescreen. The colours and the scenery as the castle sweeps across myriad landscapes are pretty stunning.
If it’s amazing visuals and the typical Japanese anime style you’re after, served with oodles of cheese, then Princess Mononoke is the one that’ll float your boat. There’s the usual magic, demons, forces of evil and stuff... and there’s a princess in distress, of course. The graphics aren’t as spectacular as what we’re used to, maybe because the film was produced in 1997, but it’s still great fun.
Finally, for the child in all of us, Ponyo is equally unmisseable – another unlikely love story between a boy and a fish-turned-girl. If it sounds weird, that is because it is... but it’s also indescribably beautiful and innocent at the same time.
In truth, there isn’t a single Miyazaki movie that doesn’t deserve praise. Porco Rosso (I always thought the title sounds vaguely obscene, but never fear, it isn’t) brings together the graphics and the war theme in a very clever manner; My Neighbour Totoro is full of whimsy; Kiki’s Delivery Service is another surreal effort with a girl-witch turning post mistress... In short, you’re guaranteed a good time courtesy of Miyazaki and his whizz kids at Studio Ghibli, whichever you opt for. So go ahead... ditch that scepticism and rush on headlong into the fun of animation as it should be done.
rdepares@timesofmalta.com