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Ponyo: Animation Artistry at its peak

Ponyo is a Studio Ghibli Film from Oscar®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki with dubbing and distribution in the US by Walt Disney Studios. It is becoming increasingly clear that there is one true master when it comes to the art of animation. That person is Hayao Miyazaki. It was Miyazaki’s biggest box office hit with over $200 million world wide and over $15 million here in the US, his best showing in the states so far. His films deserve every bit of attention they get and more. A big thanks to the team at Disney for helping to bring it stateside.

The movie is very loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” and it’s interesting to watch just to see where Miyazaki takes the movie. There is obviously a lot of Japanese mythos that I missed while watching the film, but upon subsequent viewings the richness and depth of the story really grew on me, even if I didn’t know exactly what the reference was.

Of all Miyazaki’s films, Ponyo is the most accessible for kids. My six year old was totally entranced for the whole film, a rarity for him. But there was plenty for adults to absorb as well. The movie works on multiple levels, to say the least.

One of Ponyo’s themes is a very contemporary concern for nature. You’ll be blown away by some of the animation and moved deep in your soul by others. In particular one seen with waves taking the form of fish is literally the most beautiful animation I have seen in my life.

More details about the DVD and its special features below the jump:

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Surrogates – DVD Review

There are many reasons to add Surrogates to your DVD collection. Among them are: you’re a Bruce Willis completeist, you like a good film noir and sci-fi doesn’t turn you off, you’re an all-the-humans-are-robots-except-for-the-protagonist-completeist, or, perhaps, you just like science fiction thrillers. Surrogates qualifies for all those reasons. Even though this isn’t a one of those sci-fi movies based off a Philip K Dick short story, it does deal with a lot of the themes in Philip K Dick’s writings.

Surrogates is based off a graphic novel by first time author Robert Venditti and it struggled to find an audience when it was in the theaters. It had a big name star, a unique premise, and a great director. Jonathon Mostow directed the bit hit Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, so I think everyone expected Surrogates to follow in that vein.

So why didn’t it work? Well, I think the premise may have been a bit too out there for most of the public and, to be honest, the film loses its way a bit about two-thirds through. It’s still a great film. Just not as good as it could have been.

What did work was the Director’s vision for how the story would be told. It’s film noir and a lot of great techniques from the 60s era of film noir are used. Where the film goes off track is when they get away from that style of film and slip into the action thrill. It’s almost as if you can feel the studio executives complaining that there aren’t enough explosions and gun fights.

Surrogates will hit stores on January 26th, but you can pre-order it now on Amazon.

Lots of great factoids below the cut:

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Review: The Hidden Mouse

Alan Joyce, the author of Secrets of the Mouse, has just released a reference guide for Disneyland’s Hidden Mickeys – The Hidden Mouse. The mouse’s hiding places are revealed in 116 information rich full-color pages featuring hundreds of photographs, helpful tips, and bonus behind-the-scenes information… Read More »Review: The Hidden Mouse

Around the Hub – Life, Shamu, and Everything

The official Disney Parks blog reveals how last week’s Tilt Shift video of a day at the Magic Kingdom was done. Not to be outdone, but Busch Entertainment’s Worlds of Discovery brand that unites all its theme and water parks has started their own blog.… Read More »Around the Hub – Life, Shamu, and Everything

FlashForward – Premiere Episode Recap

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Hi, my name is Barry. For the next several months, at least until D-Day, I will be along with you on the journey that is ABC’s new series “Flash Forward”. And hopefully for a while thereafter. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Before I… Read More »FlashForward – Premiere Episode Recap

FlashForward Premieres tonight on ABC

FlashForward premieres tonight on ABC at 8 pm or 7pm if you’re on central time. That might be a bit earlier than you expected, so set those DVRs carefully. FlashForward is the most anticipated series to come from ABC so far this fall. I think… Read More »FlashForward Premieres tonight on ABC

DisneyNature: Earth on Blu-ray and DVD

When you think of all the things the Walt Disney Company should be doing now, returning to movies in the spirit of True Life Adventure may not be at the top of your list. But it was at the top of mine, so I can’t… Read More »DisneyNature: Earth on Blu-ray and DVD

Pete’s Dragon Special Edition DVD Review

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It’s hard to review Pete’s Dragon without conflating it with my youthful memories of being a Disney fan. I was 7 or 8 and remember wishing that I too had a dragon like Elliot. Somewhere along the way the film became closely tied to my feelings about Disney as an adult too. “Candle on the Water” has always been one of my favorite Disney songs. Plus, seeing the the Elliot float in Disneyland’s Main Street Electrical Parade always elicits a feeling of joy, because it’s such an amazing float (makes me want to shout “Brazzle Dazzle!” right now), and sadness because seeing Elliot always the parade was nearly over.
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It goes without saying that Pete’s Dragon is a family friendly film everyone can enjoy. I watched it with my son and found him humming along to the songs even though he’d never seen the move before. For a film made in 1976 the effects are remarkably advanced, you’ll want to check out the special feature narrated by Pete (Sean Marshall) as he explains the history of Disney’s technical film wizardly that allows animation and live action to mix. This goes all the way back to Walt Disney’s first “Alice” shorts featuring Virginia Davis, who just passed away.

The combination of animation and live-action bring the magical friendship between Pete, a young orphan, and his unusual best friend to life in Pete’s Dragon High Flying Edition, now out on DVD from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Adventure, comedy and soaring musical numbers will charmed children and adults alike. And there is nearly an hour of brand-new bonus features, including a look at Disney’s live action/animation legacy, alternate versions of some of the film’s most beloved songs and much more.

Pete’s Dragon was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Music, Original Song and Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Score). The film boasts an extraordinary cast that includes Sean Marshall (“To Race the Wind”), Helen Reddy (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band), Mickey Rooney (Night at the Museum), Jeff Conaway (Grease), Shelley Winters (The Poseidon Adventure), Jim Dale (“Pushing Daisies”) and Red Buttons (“ER”), with Charlie Callas as the voice of Elliot the Dragon.

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Also among the features is a classic Donald Duck short called “Lighthouse Keeping.” It features Donald, a crafty seagull, and a light house light that just won’t stay lit. I also really enjoyed the two excepts “Disney Family Album” and “The Plausible Impossible.” Always nice to see Walt Disney in his element entertaining the audience.

Follow below the jump for a complete list of features.

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