PONYO
DVD release date: March 2, 2010
Blu-ray version (some materials may not appear on the DVD version)

Ponyo is the latest film from Japanese master filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. This is a fun, lighthearted story of a little goldfish-like creature named Ponyo, who wishes to become human and the little boy who helps her attempt to achieve her dream.

Miyazaki’s films are traditional hand drawn animation with a unique look, and he doesn’t try to emulate Disney’s animation, his style is all his own and so often set amongst his homeland of Japan, his films are uniquely refreshing.

There are various ways to watch Ponyo . One way is with the ORIGINAL JAPANESE STORYBOARDS. The storyboards appear in the upper right corner of the film as it plays. It’s quite remarkable to see just how similar the film is to the original storyboards, and it’ s a good study for students and fans of animation alike.

The way I prefer to watch Miyazaki films is with the original Japanese tracks. To do this, you select AUDIO, and choose the Japanese writing directly under the English track. If you want to see and hear how this film originally appeared in Japan, select this, because not only is the audio track different, but when you watch the English version, all the writing that appears in the credits and any writing throughout the film is translated into English. I like to hear the voices as they were intended, and read along with subtitles. Just a personal preference.

The Blu-ray version of Ponyo offers some wonderful BONUS FEATURES including the ORIGINAL JAPANESE TRAILERS:

DISC INTRODUCTION – MEET PONYO (3:22) briefly tells about Miyazaki and his films and bringing them to America.

A CONVERSATION WITH HAYO MIYAZAKI AND JOHN LASSETER (3:29) – John Lasseter is a longtime fan of Hayao Miyazaki and in this segment, gets to sit down and ask the master a few questions. With subtitles, we get to hear Miyazaki’s responses and read the translation.

CREATING PONYO (3:58) goes more indepth with Miyazaiki, and it’s fun to learn what he has to say about creating the film, and his thoughts and even challenges throughout the film’s creation.

PONYO & FUJIMOTO (2:55) particularly gives insight into the character of Fujimoto and how Miyazaki perceives him.

The film was going to take place in THE NURSERY (2:00), and when developing the film, Miyazaki realized his own dream of having his own nursery.

PRODUCER’S PERSPECTIVE: TELLING THE STORY (2:28) - Toshio Suzuki, producer of Ponyo, talks about Miyazaki’s involvement in Ponyo and some of Miyazaki’s other films.

SCORING MIYAZAKI (7:19) features composer Joe Hisaishi, who describes his thought process in deciding how to score various scenes for many of Miyazaki’s films.

BEHIND THE MICROPHONE: THE VOICES OF PONYO (6:04) focuses on the voice talent and behind-the-scenes footage of recording sessions for the English version of Ponyo. Since this is a Japanese film that was dubbed in English, the recording style is different than the original voice sessions, and the American actors must record after the film has already been completed, trying to sync up their voices to existing footage. Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, executive producers of the English version, take you through some of the process along with some of the amazing voice talent which includes Hollywood legends such as Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin and Betty White. Also included in the cast are Cate Blanchett, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Frankie Jonas (the youngest brother of the Jonas Brothers group) and Miley Cyrus’ little sister, Noah Cyrus in the role of Ponyo.

THE LOCATIONS OF PONYO (9:35) is my personal favorite bonus feature. Although I’m a huge fan of behind-the-scenes, making-of footage, this particular piece is my favorite because it focuses on live-action video of some of the beautiful Japanese scenery and culture. Temples, the ocean and shores, and various traditional Japanese scenery have made their way into Miyazaki’s movies. This nine and a half minute piece is an excerpt from The Scenery in Ghibli, a Japanese documentary that profiles the real world locations Miyazaki used for inspiration to create his animated worlds. For two months, Miyazaki spent time in the port town of Seto Inland Sea, a town which has preserved the most traditional of the Japanese culture, beautifully pictured in this featurettes.

There are also places to explore some of Miyazaki’s other films with various clips, narrations and even character sketches. There’s a Ponyo game kind of hidden amongst those bonus features, where you can find out which Ponyo character you are most like.

That’s what’s in the swim on the Ponyo blu-ray.