Well, gang -- we've reached the end of our eighteen-movie Studio Ghibli journey. Fortunately, new Ghibli films are just around the corner! Even the biggest dub haters have to admit that the English cast of The Wind Rises is pretty ballin' (ALL THE NAMES). And When Marnie Was There was announced as the next Studio Ghibli project, to be directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi. While the end (?) of the Hayao Miyazaki era might take a little -- or A LOT -- getting used to, I at least have faith in Marnie's director, Hiromasa Yonebayashi, to make a faithful adaptation (even though I'm not familiar with the source material), based on his previous film that we'll be discussing later.
And speaking of today's slate of movies, there are highs, but daaaaaamn, there are LOWS. (Or, singular low. Singular-ish.) These films feature FYA goddesses (well, half of them do), and SWOOOON (well, two of them do -- with some really bewildering feels in the rest). As always, I watched the Disney English dub of each movie, unless otherwise stated.
Title: The Cat Returns
Year: 2002
Director: Hiroyuki Morita
In a Land of Pure Imagination:
Haru is just an ordinary high school girl -- until the day she rescues a cat from becoming roadkill. But the cat is actually the Prince of the Cat Kingdom, who shows his gratitude to Haru by offering to marry her. And by 'offering', I mean Haru's totally forced to, and now she's trapped in the Cat Kingdom. But lucky for her, Haru has a certain top hat-wearing aristocat to help her get back home.
Adorable Child Kitten Alert:
A KITTEH from Haru's childhood.
Lovable Anthropomorphic Sidekicks:
CATS.
EVERYWHERE.
SO MANY CATS.
ALL THE CATS.
MEOW.
Wait, WTF?:
Why is the Cat King so obsessed with marrying Haru off? Sheesh, these cats sure like their matrimony.
Famous Voices:
Anne Hathaway as Haru; Cary Elwes as the Baron; the great Peter Boyle as Muta; Elliott Gould as Toto; actually Tim Curry as the Cat King; the amazing Judy Greer as Yuki; Andy Richter as Natoru; Kristen Bell (!!!) as Hiromi; and Buffy's mom, Kristine Sutherland, as Haru's mom.
Class Superlative: Most Feline-Friendly
I don't think I can adequately prepare you for just how many cats this movie has, because there's really no way to overstate it. It's not nearly as distracting as tanuki balls, but it's still noticeable. The movie itself is a silly, fun, and original tale of how a young girl finds her inner confidence -- and the debonair talking cat that helps her do so.
Since this goes by lightning fast:
"Baron, just for the record, I think I may have a crush on you."
"Just for the record, I admire a young woman who speaks from the heart."
Title: Howl's Moving Castle
Year: 2004
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
In a Land of Pure Imagination:
After a curse transforms young hatmaker Sophie into an old woman, she finds herself living at the aforementioned moving castle of the wizard Howl. And wouldn't you know it -- the castle just might hold the key to breaking her curse.
Adorable Child Alert:
Markl has his brekkie rountine DOWN.
Lovable Anthropomorphic Sidekicks:
Calcifer sometimes veers a little too close to annoying for my liking, but he's still way lovable.
The only thing that can match the greatness of a mouthy anthropomorphic sidekick is one that's king of the deadpan -- Heen!
And Turnip Head, OBVS.
Wait, WTF?:
Why's Howl freaking out about being a ginger!? Gingers are so hot right now.
Also: butt crack.
Famous Voices:
Emily Mortimer as Young Sophie; Jean Simmons as Old Sophie; Christian Bale as Howl; Lauren Effin' Bacall as the Witch of the Waste; Billy Crystal as Calcifer; Josh Hutcherson (whose first "Known For" credit is still Bridge to Terabithia -- suuure, IMDb) as Markl; Blythe Danner as Madame Suliman; and Jena Malone as Sophie's sister, Lettie;
Class Superlative: Chameleon
I'm not just talking about Howl's hair styles (although that's certainly applicable as well), but how I feel about this movie. At first, I was lukewarm about it, and I didn't think it lived up to the hype. But I've grown to appreciate it more upon rewatches. Howl's still hasn't captured my heart, but it's at least memorable. Plus, that score is THE BOMB DOT COM (composed by Ghibli heavy hitter Joe Hisaishi, obvs). Like that main theme song? Anyone who's seen the movie: you can already hear it, right? SO GOOD.
Title: Tales from Earthsea
Year: 2006
Director: Gorō Miyazaki
In a Land of Pure Imagination:
(Um. I swear I've watched this movie, but I still have no idea what happened. So this is more or less pieced together from synopses and my blurry memory.)
Soooo things are going wonky in the land of Earthsea -- like, people are seeing dragons and shit -- and it's up to master wizard Sparrowhawk to figure out what's causing all the trubs. He's joined by Arren, a prince harbouring a dark secret; Tenar, a former priestess; and Therru, a disfigured girl under Tenar's care. There's also bad guy named Cob that whisper-talks everything he says, so clearly he's evil and must be stopped. Or something. I tried, y'all.
And if you watch the Disney dub and find yourself as lost as I was, here's a simple drinking game for you: take a drink everytime someone says Sparrowhawk. That's probably a better use of your time.
Adorable Child Alert:
None! This movie lacks in anything adorable (among other things... ).
Lovable Agreeable Anthropomorphic Sidekick:
Uh, Sparrowhawk's (drink!) steed, I guess?
Wait, WTF?:
Oh, lordy -- this entire movie? It's supposed to be an adaptation (of a series I've never read), and it didn't do such a hot job of that, either. Judging from the DVD cover alone, I thought, "OOH, dragons!" But Earthsea fails to even deliver on the promise of dragons; one only appears for all of a scene. (I think. I had to watch this twice because I fell asleep.) Even the score -- something Studio Ghibli usually does so well -- fell flat for me; the music was just too overpowering (although that may have been a deliberate choice to distract from whatever story is supposed to be going on). The whole movie's pretty joyless and arduous, and it's hard for me to find anything remotely redeemable in it.
Famous Voices:
Timothy Dalton as Sparrowhawk (drink!); Mariska Hargitay as Tenar; Willem Dafoe is a shithead as Cob; and Cheech Marin as Hare.
Class Superlative: Outcast
Well, one true stinker out of eighteen ain't bad, right?
Title: Ponyo
Year: 2008
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
In a Land of Pure Imagination:
Who lives on the cliff down by the sea? Sōsuke! Sōsuke!
Ahem, anyway. Sōsuke finds a fish-girl that he names Ponyo, who then wants to become human to be with him. So it's basically Littler Mermaid, right down to Ponyo's red hair and her overprotective dad.
Adorable Children Alert:
OMG SO MUCH CUTE.
TOO MUCH CUTE.
TOO MUCH HAM. NOT ENOUGH HAM.
Also: best mother-son duo EVERRRR. (Or at least in Ghibli.)
Parenting!
Lovable Anthropomorphic Sidekicks:
Well, Ponyo's sisters aren't really human, so they count!
Wait, WTF?:
Um, why didn't I have a toy boat like Sōsuke's!? And uhhhh the theme song with its lyrics about Ponyo's round tummy. (At least it's an accurate translation?) Although the worst musical offense has to be when the English version morphs into this autotune remix monstrosity.
But back to the movie: WHOA, that Ponyo sure is an Age Five Clinger, huh? And Sōsuke promises to love her forever? And his mom's just going to raise the two of them together then? What happens when those two hit their teenage years and want to date around? This can't end well. Never fall in love with fishes, you guys.
Famous Voices:
Cyrus progeny Noah as Ponyo; Jonas progeny Frankie as Sōsuke; HRH Tina Fey as Sōsuke's mother, Lisa; Liam Neeson as Fujimoto; Matt Damon as Sōsuke's father; and the trifecta of perfection -- Lily Tomlin, Betty White, and Cloris Leachman -- as residents of the Himawari House.
Class Superlative: Cutie Pie
Omg, this movie is absolutely saturated with cuteness (of the kids anyway, not their 'romance'); I'm surprised I haven't gotten cavities from all the sweetness. But there's almost too much adorableness, that I don't think I can watch this again without a child present. Or without being super depressed beforehand to offset the adorbs.
Title: The Secret World of Arrietty
Year: 2010
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
In a Land of Pure Imagination:
(For some reason, the U.S. version Anglicized some of the characters' names, but I'mma use the Japanese names.)
Arrietty and her family are tiny people who secretly live in the walls and floors of a house, and they borrow items from their human landlords in order to survive. Even though she's been taught all her life to avoid humans at all costs, Arrietty befriends the human boy named Sho.
So yeah, this is an adaptation of The Borrowers. Which I hadn't clued into until I started watching, because ha ha I didn't see how the cover plainly says "inspired by the beloved children's novel The Borrowers."
Adorable Child Alert:
None!
Lovable Anthropomorphic Sidekick:
Sho's cat, Niya, sure knows how to relax.
Wait, WTF?:
Errrr, did anyone else sense vibes between Arrietty and Sho? And speaking of, these beetles were totally scuttling off to mate, right?
Famous Voices:
There are actually two English dubs of this, each with their share of stars.
U.S. version: Bridgit Mendler as Arrietty; HRH Amy Poehler as Arrietty's mom; Will Arnett as Arrietty's dad (so this was back in those days); and Carol Burnett as Hara.
U.K. version: Saoirse Ronan as Arrietty; Mark Strong as Arrietty's dad; and Geraldine McEwan (Miss Marple) as Haru.
Class Superlative: Most Familiar
While I found this to be a decent movie (and adaptation, once I realized what it was), I wouldn't consider it a good Ghibli movie. When you're at the top, you're held to a different standard, y'know? This would be a good job, good effort for a smaller animation company, but for Ghibli? Nuh-uh.
Maybe the source material is to blame, but Arrietty is missing some of the nuances and subtlety that Ghibli usually excels at -- as evident by the cartoonish villainy of Haru. Plus, I've already seen it done before (albeit in live action and with young Draco Malfoy) -- and done better, or so nostalgia tells me.
Title: From Up on Poppy Hill
Year: 2011
Director: Gorō Miyazaki
In a Land of Pure Imagination Realistic Situations:
It's 1963 in the port town of Yokohama. With their school's clubhouse, the Latin Quarter, being put up for demolition, Umi and Shun spearhead efforts to save the beloved institution. And, y'know, sparkage between Umi and Shun, plus Umi having to run the boarding house that she lives in.
Adorable Child Delicious Dish Alert:
Y'all, Umi has COOKING SKILLS TO PAY THE BILLS.
Seriously, so much tasty business!
Studio Ghibli's always made anime food look good, but it's like they were on a mission to include as much food as possible this time.
Lovable Anthropomorphic Latin Quarter Sidekick:
The Latin Quarter is full of quirky characters (like the Philosophy Club prez!), but none as prominent as Shirō, the student body president. Forget Shun; Shirō's where it's at! He even makes the proto-Biebs hair WERK. And just look how well he leans on things!
Wait, WTF?:
I can't reveal what this is without being super spoiler-y, but you'll know it when it happens.* TRUST.
*Even though it turns out to be just a scare (highlight for spoiler).
Famous Voices:
I actually watched the dub AND the sub! But I can only name-drop from the Disney dub, so.
Sarah Bolger (Once Upon a Time) as Umi; FYA Boyfriend Anton Yelchin as Shun; Gillian Anderson as Umi's grandma (and we thought she was too young for Miss Havisham); Jamie Lee Curtis as Umi's mom; Isabelle Fuhrman as Umi's sister; Aubrey Plaza as Hirokouji; Christina Hendricks as Miki; Chris Noth as Shun's dad; Ron Howard as the Philosophy Club president (couldn't have identified him without those Arrested Development voiceovers!); Beau Bridges as Chief Director Tokumaru; Bruce Dern as the ship captain; Jeff Dunham as Gen; Emilly Osment as Nobuko; and Fake Boyfriend candidate Ronan Farrow as the world history teacher;
Class Superlative: Most School Spirit
I always love it when characters are just so deeply passionate towards their causes and hobbies, and Poppy Hill is no exception. The movie did lose me a little with a certain storyline, but I choose to remember it more for the enthusiasm that the kids had towards preserving their clubhouse, instead of other things.
That's a wrap on our Studio Ghibli mini-series! So have you watched all of the movies in this set? Which were your faves? Howl's has grown on me since I first saw it, and I really like Poppy Hill in spite of its... complication.
And with the maybe-for-realsies retirement of Hayao Miyazaki, what do y'all think about the future of Studio Ghibli? The newer directors show a lot of promise, but also a lot of shakiness. I feel a lot better about the realistic films than I do about the more fantastical fare (ahem, Earthsea). I'm cautiously optimistic, although who knows if anyone could ever match Miyazaki's visual artistry in the near future?
So will you be catching his last film, The Wind Rises, when it opens in (North American) theatres on February 21st? Will you seek out the subbed print in favour of the dubbed? Will I ever stop asking so many questions? Sound off in the comments below!