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I wonder if Miyazaki will once again “retire” like he did after Spirited Away. At this point, “retiring” seems to be code for “I will wait a little while and then make another movie”, so that would probably be a good thing.

Almost all the reviews I have read about “Ponyo” have been positive. So I was looking forward to another wonderful Ghibli film when I sat down to watch it earlier this week. I was not disappointed. Ghibli fans will not be disappointed. This is a heartfelt and likeable film. In many ways, it harks back to MIyazaki’s earlier films - Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, and etc. These films were intimate, character-based films which revolved around….

The moment in “Whisper of the Heart” where Shizuku, prodded along by Seji, begins to sing nervously, and is soon joined by Seji’s uncle and his friends to form an ensemble, is my favourite moment in any Ghibli film, and one of my favourite film moments altogether. The reasons for this are half-quality wise and half-personal. It’s a well directed scene, of course. The version of the song itself is a wonderful arrangement, portraying the simplicity of the scene and expressing how beautiful such simplicity can be. This is the sort of scene where Ghibli films have a clear distinction from Disney films. In a Disney film, this moment, a song, would perhaps start with the solo violin and then quickly transform into a full musical number with a professional singer and production. But Ghibli keeps the simplicity…..continued)

So by now, I think everyone’s well acquainted with the fact that we are getting two new films, both a Miyazaki film and (surprise:) a new Takahata film! The thing about Miyazaki is, we all appreciate when we learn of a new film, but we almost expect it. With Takahata, it’s really something to find out he has a new project planned……….(continued)