Double Features: Ghibli and Disney Paired by Jamie

Hey, it's me Jamie again! I love animation and I've recently watched a lot of the Studio Ghibli movies, so this has post idea has been at the forefront of my mind the past few weeks (thank you to James, who helped me discover the company and get into it!) Every once and awhile there's enough time for a double feature, so that's what this list is for. Five sets of movies I would watch together on a lazy day.

Before we begin I did want to say one thing: It would be very easy to write a post all about comparing the big names in animation; Disney vs Dreamworks, Dreamworks Vs Pixar, and Ghibli Vs Disney. I mean, we've all done it at some point I'm sure. However, I sometimes get tired of having to pick sides. All the big names have good and not-so-good films, so do I have to pick who I think is best or who I like best every time I discover a new studio?! No, I don't. So, today I wanted give you five Studio Ghibli films paired to Disney films and not pit them against each other. If you're here for me to say which is better, you're not going to find that here today.

Book Adaption: Ponyo and The Little Mermaid

I find it fascinating that these two movies are different versions of the same story. They're both very different from each other, but I find that makes it more interesting to compare. The Little Mermaid delivers a conflict driven plot while Ponyo is almost a bit more of a slice-of-life with the fantasy element, they both give interesting renditions of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. Between the two, I do personally prefer Ponyo as the animation was crazy gorgeous in that movie, but The Little Mermaid features Ursula the sea witch, who is among my top ten most favorite Disney villains of all time. (If you want, you can also call this Ocean Adventures and throw Finding Nemo into the mix if you really really want.)

The Whacky and Weird: Spirited Away and Alice in Wonderland

I feel as though being on drugs must be similar to living in one of these worlds. Personally, I didn't click with either of them, but when I was creating this post there was no way I wasn't going to pass up a chance to pair these two. Spirited Away was plain weird but in a intriguing sort of way, I'll admit. And it did win an Oscar. :) Alice in Wonderland was weird-borderline-creepy. But, I could totally see myself watching these on a funky day where they could be very complimentary. Some quick pros: they both feature female leads, never ending, interesting side-characters, and interesting fantasy worlds. So, not bad. Just weird.

Children's Adventures: Castle in the Sky and Peter Pan

For our little ones or siblings--or even just the child within us--I have a couple of great adventures here. Studio Ghibli's first film (if you're not counting Nausicaa) and Disney's magical Peter Pan delivers the youthful spirit of adventure in different ways that both work. Castle in the Sky has a more 'kiddy' feel than some of their other movies but it's a good, fun type of 'kiddy' feel--with airplanes, pirates and magic--it's one I wish I'd gotten to see growing up. Peter Pan has a more timeless feel to it but still about a few kids who's world just got a bit bigger, also with pirates and flying and magic. :) I would definitely watch these two with my seven year old brother sometime myself.

Teeny Tiny: The Secret World of Arrietty and A Bug's Life

I know, A Bug's Life is a Pixar movie, but how was I NOT going to pair these up?! Worlds we thought we already knew--ant hills and our own homes--are looked at from a completely different angle in these films! The Secret World of Arrietty was my first Studio Ghibli film and I absolutely loved it. It's not an adventure with an epic conclusion or anything, it simply makes a familiar world feel very magical and fascinating. And as to A Bug's Life; I'm one of the people of thinks A Bug's Life is underrated. It delivers miniature adventurers on a grand scale, even if the formula has become overused. I just really like the perspective of the world we're given in both these films quite a lot. 

Heart-Tuggingly Timeless: My Neighbor Totoro and Bambi

Honestly, there are few animated films that can match what is My Neighbor Totoro, with one of the most perfect displays of sisterhood that I have ever seen in film and the simple magic of childhood. However the same could be said for Bambi, with it's steady gaze over the forest's most dearest creatures and their lives growing up. Both are tenderhearted tales, filled with genuine "my heart is smiling!" moments and beautiful animation that really help set their worlds up on two strong feet. Don't get me wrong, they're very different from each other; but they both deliver steady, timeless storytelling that should live on for ages to come.

I love animation dearly; I didn't get to grow up with very much of it, so I'm still trying to get my fill even now!  If you've reached the end of this post, you probably like animation too! You can get to know me better over at my blog Through Two Blue Eyes sometime if you'd like. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!

~Jamie

Thanks Jamie for another wonderful guest post!

Spirited Away Review

Spirited Away, the Academy Award winning film from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. A film that often considered by many to be one of the best animated films ever made, and the best film by Hayao Miyazaki. Spirited Away is an animated family film about a young girl named Chihiro that goes on a fantasy adventure to save her parents. Of Studio Ghibli's films, Spirited Away is the most well known by American and western audiences, and it remains the highest grossing to come out of Japan. More than likely, it is the only anime movie that many in the west actually know about. While Spirited Away certainly has its flaws, the movie was a fun and fantastical adventure about coming-of-age that actually manages to tell a story that both children and adults can enjoy. 

My main negative points about Spirited Away are the strange setting that sometimes makes enjoying the movie difficult. The plot and characters are mostly well executed, but some of the strange visuals can be off putting. Considering a lot of the crazy stuff I have seen in anime, it was rather strange that a few minor things in Spirited Away bothered me. Also, some of the movie is unintentionally corny, particularly the witch, and a little overly sentimental. Despite these minor flaws, please understand that these are minor flaws, but major ones. Sometimes when I criticize a famous or popular that I actually enjoyed a lot and I say something negative about, people jump to conclusion that I did not like the movie, but that is far from the case for Spirited Away. Below is a review by the famous Roger Ebert. 

Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki

Genre: Fantasy, Animation, Family, Anime, 

Release Date: July 20, 2001

Running Time: 124 minutes

MMPA rating: PG

The Good: Fluid animation, Strong English dub, Fun adventure, Whimsical atmosphere, Visually stunning, Likable main character, Creepy creatures, Easy to become swept up in the story, Fantastic soundtrack,

The Bad: A little too far out there, Overly sentimental at times,

Plot: The following plot summary is copied from Wikipedia.com.
Ten-year-old Chihiro Ogino and her parents are traveling to their new home when her father takes a wrong turn. They unknowingly enter a magical world that Chihiro's father insists on exploring. While Chihiro's parents eat like pigs at an empty restaurant stall, Chihiro finds an exquisite bathhouse. She meets a young boy, Haku, who warns her to return across the river before sunset. However, Chihiro discovers too late that her parents have turned into actual pigs and she is unable to cross the flooded river, becoming trapped in the spirit world.

Watch the movie to see what happens next.

Plot: 8.6/10- While some of the setting is a little too strange for my taste, not getting invested in Chihiro's story is nearly impossible. What makes Spirited Away such a good movie is how easily the audience can get swept away into this fantasy Miyazaki creates.

Action: 6.0/10- Aside from some classic Miyazaki’s high flying adventure, Spirited Away is not an action film by any means; however, those high flying scenes were a lot of fun.

Acting: 8.6/10- At the time of recording Spirited Away, Daveigh Chase, the voice of Chihiro, was only around eleven and she did an excellent job in the film. Having an accurately aged actor voice the role added to the likability of the character, and Chase's performance was great all around. The rest of the English dub cast gives strong performances that fit their characters well. As usual with most anime movies, the Japanese cast is great.

Art Style: 9.5/10- Studio Ghibli animation, what more needs to be said? Of course the animation is amazing! While Studio Ghibli's character designs are not always my favorite, the fluidity and quality of the animation is as stunning as always.

Soundtrack: 9.8/10- As with most Miyazaki films, Joe Hisaishi scores the film, and he does an excellent job. His themes perfectly compliment the animation with beautiful sweeping music that can give you chills.

Humor: 7.6/10- While Spirited Away is more serious than most animated films that western audiences are accustomed to, there are still some well timed moments of levity throughout the film.

Overall: 8.4/10- Despite my few minor complaints, Spirited Away, as an overall package, it is a fantastic movie with a story that is so involving I could not help but become swept up in Chihiro's fantasy adventure.

Closing comments: While Spirited Away is a family film, it is the type of family film that anyone of any age can enjoy, and it is certainly better than most anything that western animation has ever produced.

Recommended for: Anime fans, Animation fans, Fantasy fans,

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