Getting the box set itself took a bit of effort though. Rather than just plump out for the $300 retail price, I hatched a plan to acquire the set with minimal financial outlay. I got a couple of vouchers for my birthday, which I promptly converted into JB Hi-Fi gift cards. I also do surveys online for a few groups, and I'm able to get rewards in the form of vouchers or cash. So, I made a Miyazaki fund, er, that is, envelope, and put all these things in it as I earned them. After a few months of surveys, I managed to get $220 together in cash and vouchers.
As much as I'm a fan of some these movies, I was really hoping that the family would also enjoy watching them. Rather than working through the films chronologically, I tried to pick a very family-friendly title to get started; one that I hadn't seen either, so we could all experience it for the first time together.
1. MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO (1988) G
Viewed: 7th March
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
The trick with getting our kids to watch a film sometimes, is just to pop the disc in the player. They might get interested in it, and get drawn in on their own. Suggesting a movie can be met with objections or indifference. So, I took a punt and chose My Neighbour Totoro and was instantly besotted with the mini-adventure of a family moving into a new house. Having a moved house a few times as a kid, I empathised a lot with the sisters Satsuki and Mei. Visiting their sick mother gave memories of visiting my own mother in hospital as well. It would have been nice to have had a Totoro or two in a big tree next to one of my new houses. I cannot recommend this movie enough to absolutely anyone.
Might I add, that within a week or so of watching this film, the kids gave it two more viewings, one in Japanese with the English subtitles. I found this movie to immensely enjoyable in its simplicity and the hearts of the characters. Apparently Miyazaki wanted Totoro to appear in the film right from the beginning, but producer Toshio Suzuki suggested following the formula from E.T.; wherein the title character doesn't appear until nearly halfway through. The three Totoros are wonderful little creatures, and the Catbus is a magical creation. Both kids got very excited about seeing it again on their repeat viewings. They were very disappointed when we went into the Perth CBD and caught a CAT Bus. He he he...just wasn't the same.[I purchased the soundtrack to MNT shortly after I started writing this blog - both kids now listen to it as they go to sleep.]
2. PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997) M
Viewed: 8th March
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
For a little nighttime viewing, Rhones and I chose a movie that wasn't really appropriate for our kids. No use letting a perfectly good family flick go to waste while they're in bed. I do find this one a little hard to watch. Firstly, the violence in some of the fight scenes is quite gruesome, and for a Miyazaki film, fairly shocking. It's a long movie too, which at 133 minutes, is the third longest animated film of all time, behind Final Yamato (165min) and The Tale of Princess Kaguya (138min). I also find it a little hard to follow, and struggle to understand the motivations of some of the characters. Having said all this, it still is a wonderful film, and well worth watching. The little kodama beings that show up in the forests are a big highlight for me, as is Billy Bob Thornton's vocal performance as Jiko-bō, the cunning monk. There is a lot of beautiful scenery, as usual, and the relationship between the movie's main protagonist Ashitaka and his elk Yakul is wonderful. One of Miyazaki's recurring themes of the human race's effect on its environment, and it's a major part of this movie. While not one of my favourites, it's still essential viewing.
3. KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE (1989) G
Viewed: 11th March
Rating: 4/5 stars
The second film we watched as a family was another successful viewing, with both kids becoming particularly enamoured by Kiki's cat Jiji (who was voiced by the late Phil Hartman in the English dub). A wonderful coming-of-age tale involving the young witch Kiki who embarks on her year of living away from home. Every witch leaves home when they turn thirteen in this universe, and it's a rite of passage that Kiki is very keen to go through. This is a very pleasant watch with much humour and wonder. As with many of Miyazaki's films, there is a big emphasis on flight as Kiki struggles to master flying on her broomstick. Her would-be boyfriend Tombo also has aspirations involving aviation.
4. PONYO (2008) G
Viewed: 12th March
Rating: 3/5 stars
While it certainly has some memorable moments, plenty of heart and great characters, this is probably my least favourite Miyazaki movie. It feels a bit like his version of a Hollywood film, while being a riff on The Little Mermaid. It is visually striking though, with the underwater sequences taking on an almost- hypnotic feel. There is a wonderful sense of magic throughout too, with the wizard Fujimoto providing humour as well as intrigue. The relationship between the eponymous fish Ponyo and the boy Sōsuke is the main focus of the movie and it's certainly the most endearing part. The kids loved it!
5. LAPUTA: CASTLE IN THE SKY (1986) G
Viewed: 19th March
Rating: 4/5 stars
I managed to tape this off SBS years ago, and was looking forward to watching it again, sans adverts. It didn't disappoint. There are many iconic scenes, but the early image of Sheeta falling slowly through the air into Pazu's waiting arms is my pick. I also love the sequence involving the reactivated robot at the fortress. For a piece of clunking machinery that doesn't speak, you really start to get invested in it. Even as his violent outbursts escalate. Actually, I forgot just how menacing some of the violence and language was for a G-rated film. For instance, the main villain Muska (wonderfully voiced by Mark Hamill in the US version) shoots off Sheeta's pigtails, and then tells her that her ears are next. Excuse me? Having said that, there are only a handful of questionable scenes that probably should have earned this a PG rating. The magic of the mystical floating city and the allure of aetherium crystals are entrancing. Seeing as the main theme of this film is aviation, the scenes involving flight are quite majestic. The slapstick comedy of the grandma-like Captain Dola and her pirate sons are another highlight. Our kids weren't as enamoured with this as the others, but still cast an eye to the television every now and then.
Okay, well that might do for this entry. I'll get to the rest of the movies in another blog post soon.
Ish.
