Miyazaki Countdown Part 10 - Ponyo

Hello everyone and welcome to Some Like It Scott's second Countdown miniseries of 2023, a podcast first focusing entirely on the works of Japanese animator, Hayao Miyazaki: the Miyazaki Countdown. To honor one of the living legends of animation, the countdown crew of Scott, Scott, and Jay will watch all 11 of Miyazaki's films to-date, rewinding all the way back to his directorial origins with 1979's action-adventure heist thriller LUPIN III: THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO, all the way to his then-final film, 2013's biographical epic romance drama, THE WIND RISES. Join us each week over the next 11 weeks, as we build up to what is Miyazaki's self-proclaimed now-final film (we'll see...), the fantasy epic, THE BOY AND THE HERON.

 

In Part 10 of the Miyazaki Countdown, Scott, Scott, and Jay discuss Hayao Miyazaki's 2008 animated family fantasy film, PONYO. PONYO follows the eldest fish-like daughter, Brunhilde, of a once-human wizard, Fujimoto, who now lives underwater on a four-flippered submarine, after she secretly escapes on the top of a jellyfish. Emerging above water and eventually washing ashore in a small fishing village, a 5-year-old boy named Sōsuke finds Brunhilde and releases her from a glass jar she had become trapped in. Sōsuke cuts himself in the process, but Brunhilde magically cures his wound with a lick of her tongue, motivating Sōsuke to keep Brunhilde as a pet fish, name her Ponyo, and promise to protect her. After discovering Ponyo missing, Fujimoto searches for his lost daughter, whom he believes was kidnapped, eventually locating her at Sōsuke's home on the cliff by the sea, where he sends his wave spirits to rescue her. Ponyo's successful return to Fujimoto leaves Sōsuke deeply saddened and confused. but Ponyo quickly begins to rebel against her father again, refusing to respond to her birth name, Brunhilde, and beginning to transform herself into a human, thanks to the blood she licked off of Sōsuke's wound. The battle of wills between Ponyo and Fujimoto continues, while Sōsuke must reckon with Ponyo's (at least temporary) departure. The countdown crew discuss Miyazaki's first film specifically made with families and children in mind, whether the themes of the film still resonate for adults, and how the new cast of characters and advancements in animation stack up against the other films in Miyazaki's catalog so far.