The Invention of Lying Tells the Truth

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 9 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Invention of Lying (2009)
Running time: 99 minutes
MPAA – PG-13 for language including some sexual material and a drug reference
WRITERS/DIRECTORS: Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson
PRODUCERS: Ricky Gervais, Dan Lin, Lynda Obst, and Oly Obst
CINEMATOGRAHER: Tim Suhrstedt (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Chris Gill

COMEDY/ROMANCE

Starring: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K. Jeffrey Tambor, Fionnula Flanagan, Rob Lowe, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and Tina Fey

Last fall, Ricky Gervais made his directorial debut with the film, The Invention of Lying, co-directed with Matthew Robinson. The film is about a man who discovers lying in a world where everyone tells the truth – even the brutal truth. Those who saw the trailers (commercials) for this film may not realize that advertising for The Invention of Lying leaves out one important fact.

The Invention of Lying is not about lying; it is about religion.

The film takes place in an alternate reality where lying and even the concept of the lie do not even exist. People are always telling the truth, and everyone: politicians, advertisers, the man and woman on the street, neighbors, coworkers, employers, and even the person you’re dating speaks the truth and nothing but the truth. Such honesty does not come with a thought of the consequences. Seeing this, even in a movie, is pretty shocking. For instance, it is never cool to hear a coworker just flatly state how much she hates you and is glad to hear that you will be fired. Such blunt truth is the norm in this world.

Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) is a down-on-his-luck loser. A failed screenwriter, Mark knows that he is about to be fired, and so do all his coworkers and colleagues. Mark also goes out on an arranged date with a perky young woman named Anna McDoogles (Jennifer Garner), who is brutally honest about her feelings for him. She thinks Mark is nice, but she doesn’t want to have children with a fat man who has a stubby nose.

When his life totally falls apart, Mark reaches the point of desperation when he suddenly says something that simply is not, and thus, he gives birth to the lie. Mark invents the ability to say things that are not true, and, as the only person in the world who can lie, he uses lying to make himself rich. When one of his lies spreads, the entire world starts to hang on Mark’s every word, even his beloved Anna.

Lying isn’t the only thing Mark Bellison’s world is missing. People have no concept of heaven, faith, or God. When Mark creates “the man in the sky,” people believe him because they don’t know he is lying, nor would they even understand the concept of lying. Ultimately, Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson use The Invention of Lying to make a few suggestions to the viewer. First, people should do the things that make them happy and not go along with the status quo if it makes them miserable. Also, a person shouldn’t wait to be told what to do, nor should others, even a divine other, make decisions for him.

The Invention of Lying is a great idea, even a wicked idea, but as the film goes on, Gervais and Robinson favor romance over the sharp social criticism about truth and about religion. This is a love story set in a parable and satire, and while the filmmakers handle both well, The Invention of Lying does lack a tangible antagonist. Much of the dramatic conflict is internal – Mark Bellison’s good side versus his selfish, greedy, petty nature. The script never really takes advantage of conflict outside of the lead character: Mark versus his job, society, and his rivals.

Still, this film is surprisingly radical, and the filmmakers mine much of the premise’s richness. Ricky Gervais is, as always, a brilliant, funny man, with a great sense of humor when it comes to poking fun at people and society. Jennifer Garner is surprisingly spry, (although she is a good comic actress), and her performance is pitch perfect for this story. I can forgive The Invention of Lying for its eventual transformation into a conventional romantic comedy, because for most of its hour and a half of story, this movie’s wit is startling. In a landscape of safe, conventional movies, that is worth a lot.

7 of 10
B+

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

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Review: God I Still Hate this Movie: "The Hours"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 39 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Hours (2002)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK/USA
Running time: 114 minutes (1 hour, 54 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for mature thematic elements, some disturbing images, and brief language
DIRECTOR: Stephen Daldry
WRITER: David Hare (based upon the novel by Michael Cunningham)
PRODUCERS: Scott Rudin and Robert Fox
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Seamus McGarvey (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Peter Boyle
COMPOSER: Philip Glass
Academy Award winner

DRAMA

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep, Ed Harris, Stephen Dillane, Miranda Richardson, John C. Reilly, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, and Jack Rovello

Director Stephen Daldry’s The Hours is one of those prestige, award season movies. It’s no secret that Hollywood, or the film industry, if you will, reserves films of a serious, meaningful, thoughtful, artistic nature for release during the last quarter of the year, especially late November and December. That is a late enough release so that the films will, hopefully, still be fresh in the minds of Oscar voters come January or February, whenever ballots are mailed to members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

This is like a big bake off to impress Oscar voters. Studios trot out their best baked goods to tempt the appetites of those who might award them one faux gold statue called “Oscar,” or maybe two, or three or so on. In a way, these films are often as formulaic as the trash the studios trot out during the summer and winter vacation seasons. Oscar contenders are made of varying measuring spoons and cups of serious acting by acclaimed thespians, scripts from the best scribes adapting the most recent literary sensations, veteran directors pining after that Oscar that would define their careers, and, of course drama. Oh the drama, be it initiated by disease, murder, family conflict, or international strife, the drama is so important. Comedies hardly ever win Oscars, and Oscar treats science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery like bastard children.

What does that have to do with The Hours? The Hours is so painfully and obviously aimed at earning awards for its cast and crew that it can’t help but show all its tricks. Like a clueless magician, The Hours spoils the show by showing its hand too early.

The story revolves around three women of different eras, two of them affected by the works of the third woman, Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman). From 1923 to 1941, Ms. Woolf lives in a small English country town at the behest of her doctor and her husband Leonard (Stephen Dillane) who feel London is bad for her unstable mental health. Ms. Woolf is working on her novel Mrs. Dalloway, a novel in which the story takes place over an entire day, but she’d really like to return to London social circles despite the fact that London eventually drives her wacky and makes her want to kill herself. In 1951, Laura Brown (Julianne Moore), a pregnant housewife, is preoccupied with the novel Mrs. Dalloway and is contemplating suicide on her husband’s (John C. Reilly) birthday. In 2001, Clarissa Vaughan (Meryl Streep) is living the novel the day she is planning a party for her long time friend, Richard Brown (Ed Harris), a poet who is dying of AIDS. As the story unfolds, we see how the women and the events of three eras are inextricably linked.

First, there is a better Stephen Daldry film, the wonderful Billy Elliot. However, the acting is good. How can it not be, considering the film’s stellar cast? The problem is the material. It’s so morbid and moribund, so depressed and stilted. Yes, Ms. Streep can emote. Ms. Kidman is simply mesmerizing as Ms. Woolf. The material just didn’t hold my interest. Sometimes, I couldn’t wait to see what Virginia would do next, so good was Ms. Kidman in creating this fascinating creature; other times, I couldn’t wait for her tired ass to just disappear. To be honest, if Meryl Streep wasn’t so good at emoting, her character would have been an empty shell, merely a melancholy mannequin. It seemed as if she were just there only to look earnest and sad.

And, in the end, that’s the best way to describe this film – earnest, yet sad. Nothing happens beyond people being anxious and depressed. The grimaces, the smiles to hide the emotional exhaustion, the pangs of emptiness, the feelings of regret, the etc., there was good material; it’s just that what made it onto the screen could leaving you asking, “if you’re so sad, what’re you going to do about it?” The Hours is oh-so serious with an oh-so talented cast and oh-so serious artistic intentions. In those moments between the interesting moments and dreary tedium, I could only ask, “Oh, so what?” This movie does have many good moments, and if you’re a fan of the three leads, it’s certainly worth seeing just to watch the stars.

Maybe, someone needs to have lived a long life filled with the bitter and the sweet, with lots of regret, and with lots of life experience to appreciate this film. Maybe, The Hours is geared towards an older audience, an older female audience of a particular intellectual persuasion. I think the occasionally witty Virginia Woolf character would have made for a good film had the character not been relegated to a winsome creature mindlessly chasing self-destruction. Of course, death is part of life, but the life/death struggle doesn’t always make for a good movie.

5 of 10
C+

NOTE:
2003 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Actress in a Leading Role” (Nicole Kidman); 8 nominations: “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” (Ed Harris), “Best Actress in a Supporting Role” (Julianne Moore), “Best Costume Design” (Ann Roth), “Best Director,” (Stephen Daldry), “Best Editing” (Peter Boyle), “Best Music, Original Score” (Philip Glass), “Best Picture” (Scott Rudin and Robert Fox), and “Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay” (David Hare)


2003 BAFTA Awards: 2 wins: “Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music” (Philip Glass) and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” (Nicole Kidman); 9 nominations: “Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film” (Scott Rudin, Robert Fox, and Stephen Daldry), “BAFTA Film Award Best Editing” (Peter Boyle), “Best Film” (Scott Rudin and Robert Fox), “Best Make Up/Hair” (Ivana Primorac, Conor O'Sullivan, and Jo Allen). “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Ed Harris), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” (Meryl Streep), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Julianne Moore), “Best Screenplay – Adapted” (David Hare), and “David Lean Award for Direction” (Stephen Daldry)


2003 Golden Globes: 2 wins “Best Motion Picture – Drama” “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Nicole Kidman); 5 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Stephen Daldry), “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Philip Glass), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Ed Harris), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Meryl Streep), “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (David Hare)

VIZ Pictures to Release Hisashi Tenmyouya Documentary

VIZ PICTURES CONTINUES TO EXPAND THE NEW PEOPLE ARTIST SERIES WITH THE DVD RELEASE OF HISASHI TENMYOUYA: SAMURAI NOUVEAU


Perceptive Documentary Profiles The Life Of A Graphic Designer Turned Contemporary Artist

VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC, that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, will release the newest volume of its ongoing NEW PEOPLE Artist Series – HISASHI TENMYOUYA: sAMURAI NOUVEAU. This interesting documentary follows the life of one of the most talented young artists in Japan today. The DVD, due to release on March 9th with an MSRP of $24.92 U.S. / $35.99 CAN, will be distributed by VIZ Media.

HISASHI TENMYOUYA: SAMURAI NOUVEAU presents a look into the artist Hisashi Tenmyouya, a graphic designer turned contemporary artist, and his NEO-Traditional Japanese Painting style. He uses gold foil and fine brushes to prepare for various exhibitions while people surrounding the artist share their thoughts. In this film, Tenmyouya reveals his soul through the melding of modern urban subjects with traditional painting methods.

In celebration of this new release, VIZ Pictures has scheduled special screenings of HISASHI TENMYOUYA at VIZ Cinema on Saturday, March 6th at 1:00 pm, and Sunday, March 7th at 3:00 pm. VIZ Cinema is located inside NEW PEOPLE, a newly opened entertainment destination in San Francisco at 1746 Post Street devoted to Japanese pop culture. For more information about this event, please visit www.vizcinema.com or www.viz-pictures.com.

“Hisashi Tenmyouya has shown steadily since his first show in 1990 at age 24, including shows at the Whitney in New York and others in Tokyo, Berlin, London, Paris, Madrid, Kiev and Sao Paulo,” says Seiji Horibuchi, President and CEO of VIZ Pictures and the founder of NEW PEOPLE. “Besides winning the Taro Okamoto Memorial Award in 2003, he was chosen as one of 14 artists in the world to participate in the design of the FIFA World Cup Poster for the in 2006 World Cup. We’re honored to release this new documentary and look forward to more people discovering the world of Hisashi Tenmyouya.”

The NEW PEOPLE Artist Series is an intriguing collection of documentaries introducing modern Japanese Pop artists to the American audience. All of the highlighted artists possess unique views and inspirations, allowing them to create captivating works of art. For more information on the NEW PEOPLE Artist Series visit www.viz-pictures.com or www.newpeopleartistseries.com, and for information on movie schedules at VIZ Cinema, please visit www.vizcinema.com.

For more information on DVD titles distributed by VIZ Media please visit www.viz.com.

Wesley Snipes is Back (A Negromancer Bits and Bites Extra)

AOL Black Voices has an exclusive interview with actor Wesley Snipes.  "BV on Movies" blogger Wilson Morales talks to Snipes about his new film, Brooklyn's Finest.  The two also discuss Snipes line of graphic novels (which may actually be webcomics) and future work.  No, Snipes says next to nothing about his legal woes.

Now, onto the good stuff:

BV:With some many reboots, remakes and now 3-D would you entertain returning to the 'Blade' franchise?

SNIPES: I would definitely consider it, but to be honest with you, I'm very proactive. While they were deciding if they wanted to have further conversations about 'Blade,' we went and created new urban superheroes. I have one where I call him the Blade killer. We have some new stuff that's contemporary, and that's putting us a 100 years in the future. It's beyond what's created by Marvel. I know how to do this very well, and I think I have a track record of success that has benefited even Marvel and this new trend of vampire movies, from 'Twilight' on down. All of those films have some residue of Blade in them.

I can dream...

Countdown to Oscar 2010: National Board of Review Awards 2009

From the National Board of Review:

UP IN THE AIR NAMED 2009 BEST FILM OF THE YEAR BY THE NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW


New York, NY – December 3rd, 2009 – The National Board of Review named Up In The Air the 2009 Best Film of the Year. Directed by Jason Reitman, Up In The Air is the timely odyssey of Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizer and consummate modern business traveler who, after years of staying happily airborne, suddenly finds himself ready to make a real connection.

Below is a full list of the awards given by the National Board of Review:

Best Film: UP IN THE AIR

Best Director: CLINT EASTWOOD, Invictus

Best Actors: Tie
GEORGE CLOONEY, Up In The Air
MORGAN FREEMAN, Invictus

Best Actress: CAREY MULLIGAN, An Education

Best Supporting Actor: WOODY HARRELSON, The Messenger

Best Supporting Actress: ANNA KENDRICK, Up In The Air

Best Foreign Language Film: A PROPHET

Best Documentary: THE COVE

Best Animated Feature: UP

Best Ensemble Cast: IT’S COMPLICATED

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: JEREMY RENNER, The Hurt Locker

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: GABOUREY SIDIBE, Precious

Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut:
DUNCAN JONES, Moon
OREN MOVERMAN, The Messenger
MARC WEBB, (500) Days of Summer

Best Original Screenplay: JOEL AND ETHAN COEN, A Serious Man

Best Adapted Screenplay: JASON REITMAN and SHELDON TURNER, Up In The Air

Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: WES ANDERSON, The Fantastic Mr. Fox

William K. Everson Film History Award: JEAN PICKER FIRSTENBERG

NBR Freedom of Expression:
BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY
INVICTUS
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS

TEN BEST FILMS (in alphabetical order):
AN EDUCATION
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
INVICTUS
THE MESSENGER
A SERIOUS MAN
STAR TREK
UP
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Five Best Foreign-Language Films (in alphabetical order):
THE MAID
REVANCHE
SONG OF SPARROWS
THREE MONKEYS
THE WHITE RIBBON

Five Best Documentaries (in alphabetical order):
BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY
CRUDE
FOOD, INC.
GOOD HAIR
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS

Top Ten Independent Films (in alphabetical order):
AMREEKA
DISTRICT 9
GOODBYE SOLO
HUMPDAY
IN THE LOOP
JULIA
ME AND ORSON WELLES
MOON
SUGAR
TWO LOVERS


“The NBR is very proud to announce its honorees for 2009 – a year in which filmmakers’ voices and visions were innovative, exciting and eclectic. We are thrilled to honor Jason Reitman’s bittersweet and poignant film, Up In The Air, with wonderfully strong performances, writing and direction,” said NBR President Annie Schulhof. “The NBR is looking forward to this year’s gala at Cipriani 42nd Street with Meredith Vieira joining us as the evening’s MC.”

This year the NBR screened over 300 films – 181 narratives, 79 documentaries, 46 foreign language films and 11 animated films. The NBR, founded on January 25th, 1909, was originally founded as an anti-censorship organization and continues to honor excellence and freedom of expression in filmmaking today. The 108 members include knowledgeable film enthusiasts, academics, filmmakers and students from the NY metropolitan area. Many of the student members are past recipients of the NBR student grant program which enables students and young filmmakers to finish their projects and exhibit their work.

The 2010 NBR Gala wAS held on January 12th at Cipriani’s 42nd St. in New York City. Meredith Vieira served as the Mistress of Ceremonies. Once again, the accounting firm of Lutz & Carr tabulated the actual ballots.


THE NBR
For more than a century, the National Board of Review has been committed to freedom of expression in the cinema. Originally established to fight government censorship of motion pictures, the NBR has championed many films of significant social impact. The NBR continues that commitment today with its annual William K. Everson Award for film history, so named for the signature film historian and educator of modern times, a long-time NBR member, as well as its annual freedom of expression award. The NBR also celebrates the filmmakers of tomorrow with student philanthropy, which supports young filmmakers with financial aid that enables honorees to complete projects and exhibit them at various film festivals. For more information please visit http://www.nbrmp.org/

HISTORY
The National Board of Review was founded in 1909 in New York City, just thirteen years after the birth of cinema, to protest New York City Mayor George McClennan's revocation of moving-picture exhibition licenses Christmas Eve 1908 on the grounds that the new medium supposedly degraded the morals of the community. To assert their constitutional freedom of expression, theater owners, led by Marcus Loew, and film distributors (Edison Biograph, Pathe, and Gaumont), joined John Collier of The People's Institute at Cooper Union to establish a National Review Committee, an anti-censorship group, that endorsed films of merit and encouraged the new "art of the people." In 1919 the organization first selected its "10 best movies of the year." The NBR later published a magazine called Films in Review, which was the first publication devoted to critical discussion of film, counting among its contributors Harold Robbins, Dore Schary, Stephen Sondheim, Alfred Hitchcock, and Tennessee Williams. During the era of the Hollywood blacklist (when others were silent), Films in Review vigorously opposed film censorship. Movies released between 1920 and 1950 carried the legend "Passed by the National Board of Review."

http://www.nbrmp.org/

Hayao Miyazaki Talks about "Ponyo"

Provided by Walt Disney Home Entertainment:

Hayao Miyazaki Q&A


Ponyo, the latest animated masterpiece from Academy-Award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) debuts on DVD & Blu-ray on March 2, 2010 from Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, Ponyo tells the enchanting and visually rich story of a young and overeager goldfish named Ponyo and her quest to become human. Ponyo was the top film in Japan in 2008 and is the eighth highest grossing film in Japanese history. Featuring an all-star English language voice cast, including newcomers Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas, the Walt Disney Studios presentation of a Studio Ghibli film is also the highest grossing Miyazaki feature in U.S. history.

The single disc Ponyo DVD contains the new English-language version executive produced by John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, and Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. Also included is the subtitled original Japanese version. Bonus features include: "Behind The Microphone," a behind the scenes look at the voice talent for Ponyo, and the music video for the Ponyo theme song sung by Frankie Jonas & Noah Cyrus.

Meanwhile, the single disc Ponyo Blu-ray contains the same content as the DVD, plus such exclusive bonus features as "The Five Geniuses Who Created Ponyo" (including Supervising Animator Katsuya Kondo, Art Director Noboru Yoshida, Color Designer Michiyo Yasuda and Recording & Sound Mixer Shuji Inoue); interviews with Miyazaki and long-time producer Toshio Suzuki; a storyboard documentary; and Trailer #2.

On a rare trip to Los Angeles for the movie's theatrical release, the legendary director spoke about Ponyo:

Q: Aside from The Little Mermaid, what else inspired Ponyo?

MIYAZAKI: I was initially attracted to a children's book about a frog: But as I worked on the story, it became something completely different… so I didn't pursue that direction. I have told the author of that children's book that that was the hint for this film, though. Sometimes, I test myself, wondering, if I get a death sentence if I don't make this movie, would I still make this movie. And that's where the frog came into play.

Q: Why are you attracted to fairy tales?

MIYAZAKI: When I work on a new story, I think I'm writing a new story, but when I scrape things away to its core, I realize that there are fragments of these old folk tales or legends that form my stories. It's not that I'm trying to resurrect an old legend, but naturally it's there at the core. I think it shows that I'm in the flow of human civilization.

Q: Did you reference Disney's animated version of The Little Mermaid?

MIYAZAKI: I watched the video of The Little Mermaid many years ago when I was first given it," Miyazaki continued, "but I haven't watched it recently. And, on purpose, I didn't watch it while making this film.

Q: How do you make your movies?

MIYAZAKI: I do all my work on storyboard, so as I draw my storyboard, the world gets more and more complex. And as a result, my north, south, east, west sense of direction kind of shift and go off base. But it seems like my staff as well as the audience don't quite realize that this is happening. Don't tell them about it.

Q: Why did you abandon your CG department for Ponyo?

MIYAZAKI: Actually, at Studio Ghibli, we dissolved the computer graphics section before we started production on Ponyo. So we had decided at that point to stick with hand-drawn animation… I think I can leave the computer-generated animation [John Lasseter] and I can stick to the hand-drawn animation.

Q: How did you achieve the splashing waves?

MIYAZAKI: The secret was keeping the squiggly lines moving all the time.

Q: Where does your concern for nature come from?

MIYAZAKI: It's not that nature or ecology has become a growing concern for me. I think it's just part of our natural surrounding and it's sort of a common thing to depict it. For example, I tell my artists and the team working together to make it smoggier. Then it looks more like the natural surroundings that we live in. It's not that I like smog. So it's the kind of landscape that our children and we are used to living in and whether we should do something about it or not is something that we should think about in real life rather than depicting it in a particular way in the stories on screen.

Q: How do you make your villains so sympathetic?

MIYAZAKI: When I start creating a villain, I start liking the villain and so the villain is not really evil. The Fleischer brothers made Superman, and they have a scene where there's a steel making iron works right behind the Hollywood Hills. A bad guy -- the evil character -- who puts so much into creating such a factory and investing so much is somebody that should be lovable. And villains actually work harder than the heroes.

Q: How is the importance of family demonstrated in Ponyo?

MIYAZAKI: The most important thing is, I think, that even within such an environment, children grow up, they learn to love and they enjoy living in that environment. I think what is most important is that parents and children see each other as being very valuable and very precious to each other, and if they can get that out of the movie that's fine.

John Lasseter Talks Ponyo

Provided by Walt Disney Home Entertainment:

PONYO INTERVIEWS WITH JOHN LASSETER


Ponyo, the latest animated masterpiece from Academy-Award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away), debuts on DVD & Blu-ray on March 2nd from Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, Ponyo tells the enchanting and visually rich story of a young and overeager goldfish named Ponyo and her quest to become human. Ponyo was the top film in Japan in 2008 and is the eighth highest grossing film in Japanese history. Featuring an all-star English language voice cast, including newcomers Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas, the Walt Disney Studios presentation of a Studio Ghibli film is also the highest grossing Miyazaki feature in U.S. history.

The single disc Ponyo DVD contains the new English-language version executive produced by John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, and Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. Also included is the subtitled original Japanese version. Bonus features include: "Behind The Microphone," a behind the scenes look at the voice talent for Ponyo, and the music video for the Ponyo theme song sung by Frankie Jonas & Noah Cyrus.

Meanwhile, the single disc Ponyo Blu-ray contains the same content as the DVD, plus such exclusive bonus features as "The Five Geniuses Who Created Ponyo" (including Supervising Animator Katsuya Kondo, Art Director Noboru Yoshida, Color Designer Michiyo Yasuda and Recording & Sound Mixer Shuji Inoue); interviews with Miyazaki and long-time producer Toshio Suzuki; a storyboard documentary; and Trailer #2.

"In one of my favorite scenes, Ponyo arrives at Sosuke's house as a girl while a storm rages," says Lasseter. "Sosuke's mother makes noodles for her -- which she discovers she loves. It's so special, because Ponyo is a little girl but she's a brand-new little girl and everything is brand new to her.

"Ponyo transcends age groups: everybody enjoys this film," adds Lasseter. "I've watched it with many audiences and people are truly entertained by it. There's a depth and a beauty to the film; it really works for all ages."

Aside from The Little Mermaid, what else inspired Ponyo? On a rare trip to Los Angeles for the movie's theatrical release, the legendary director suggested that he was initially attracted to a children's book about a frog: "But as I worked on the story, it became something completely different… so I didn't pursue that direction. I have told the author of that children's book that that was the hint for this film, though. Sometimes, I test myself, wondering, if I get a death sentence if I don't make this movie, would I still make this movie. And that's where the frog came into play."

"He is one of the great filmmakers of our time and has been a tremendous inspiration to our generation of animators," continues Lasseter. "At Pixar, when we have a problem that we can't seem to solve, we often look at one of Miyazaki's films."

The lure of fairy tales still resonates strongly for Miyazaki. "When I work on a new story, I think I'm writing a new story, but when I scrape things away to its core, I realize that there are fragments of these old folk tales or legends that form my stories. It's not that I'm trying to resurrect an old legend, but naturally it's there at the core. I think it shows that I'm in the flow of human civilization."

And what inspiration did Miyazaki glean from the acclaimed Disney animated version of The Little Mermaid? "I watched the video of The Little Mermaid many years ago when I was first given it," Miyazaki continued, "but I haven't watched it recently. And, on purpose, I didn't watch it while making this film."

Not surprisingly, the 68-year-old animation master, who manages to find the time to draw monthly for a Japanese Manga magazine, still maintains the same disciplined approach to making his animated features. "I do all my work on storyboard, so as I draw my storyboard, the world gets more and more complex. And as a result, my north, south, east, west sense of direction kind of shift and go off base. But it seems like my staff as well as the audience don't quite realize that this is happening. Don't tell them about it," he joked.

For those who notice a much simpler graphic design to Ponyo, it's no coincidence. Ponyo marks Miyazaki's return to completely hand-drawn animation. "Actually, at Studio Ghibli, we dissolved the computer graphics section before we started production on Ponyo," Miyazaki explained. "So we had decided at that point to stick with hand-drawn animation… I think I can leave the computer-generated animation to [John Lasseter] and I can stick to the hand-drawn animation."

In fact, watching Ponyo more closely on DVD or Blu-ray will enable the viewer to see how exquisite the splashing waves look. Miyazaki explained that the secret to the hand-animated waves in Ponyo was keeping the squiggly lines moving all the time.

"It reminded me of when I was on holiday at the beach with my boys," explains Lasseter. "The waves were very different—coming up out of the water and smashing right on the boys. They were scared, so I started giving the waves personality—like they're hiding from the kids and waiting for them to come close and then they'd reach up and get them. In Ponyo, Miyazaki actually made the ocean a character," Lasseter continues. "The waves become creatures and the style of the water is actually very believable for the world that he created."

And yet, Miyazaki's appreciation and love of nature is very evident in Ponyo. "It's not that nature or ecology has become a growing concern for me. I think it's just part of our natural surrounding and it's sort of a common thing to depict it. For example, I tell my artists and the team working together to make it smoggier. Then it looks more like the natural surroundings that we live in. It's not that I like smog. So it's the kind of landscape that our children and we are used to living in and whether we should do something about it or not is something that we should think about in real life rather than depicting it in a particular way in the stories on screen."

Even Miyazaki's depiction of villains remains generous in Ponyo. The goldfish's wizard of a father (voiced by Liam Neeson) is terrified that his daughter's transformation into a little human girl will upset the delicate balance of nature. He tries to use his magic to return her to the sea and her former self, rather than letting go and letting her exhibit her free will.

"When I start creating a villain, "Miyazaki explained, "I start liking the villain and so the villain is not really evil. The Fleischer brothers made Superman, and they have a scene where there's a steel making iron works right behind the Hollywood Hills. A bad guy -- the evil character -- who puts so much into creating such a factory and investing so much is somebody that should be lovable. And villains actually work harder than the heroes."

And with Ponyo, the director stresses the importance of family."The most important thing is, I think, that even within such an environment, children grow up, they learn to love and they enjoy living in that environment. I think what is most important is that parents and children see each other as being very valuable and very precious to each other, and if they can get that out of the movie that's fine."

"Ponyo is just stunning visually and tells a wonderful story. The magic in the film, the adventure itself are beyond description," says Lasseter. "It's so beautiful and full of heart and it features great characters. I want people all over the country to see it, fall in love with it, and discover Miyazaki's whole library."