This Japanese movie, due for an English-language release this Christmas, is another charming children's tale from the great Hayao Miyazaki, the Japanese director whose My Neighbour Toturo and Spirited Away are widely considered the greatest animated films ever made. His self-founded "Studio Ghibli" has been producing his works since the 1980s, and now cooperates with Disney to ensure American releases for the movies. The film was a big hit in Japan earlier this year.
这部日产电影的英文版将在这个圣诞节推出，是由日本著名导演宫崎骏创作的又一个迷人的儿童故事，他的《龙猫》和《千与千寻》被普遍认为是动漫史上最成功的作品。他自己创办的“吉卜力工作室”自上世纪80年代以来不断推出他的作品，现在又与迪士尼合作以确保影片在美国的发行。该片今年年初在日本大受欢迎。
The film represents a return to form for Studio Ghibli. Howl's Moving Castle, Miyazaki's last film, started strongly but became incoherent towards the end, and Tales From Earthsea, directed by his son Goro, was a disappointment. As it happens, the little boy in this new movie, Sosuke, is modelled after Goro Miyazaki as a child. Hayao Miyazaki is a master at creating realistic children, and the five-year-old Sosuke, with his mixture of seriousness and joyful childish whim, is one of the best yet. He lives with his mother, Lisa, in a small seaside town. Lisa is an aide at an old people's home, while Sosuke's father is a sailor often away at sea.
该片代表“吉卜力工作室”优秀作品的重现。《哈尔的移动城堡》是宫崎骏上一部作品，其开头强劲但是后来逐渐变得混乱没有条理，由宫崎骏的儿子宫崎吾郎执导的《地海战记》也让人很失望。这部新片当中的小男孩宗介恰好是以小时候的宫崎吾郎为原型。宫崎骏在塑造逼真的儿童角色方面是位大师，五岁的宗介既严肃又充满孩子气，是迄今塑造得最成功的人物之一。宗介与母亲丽莎生活在海边的一个小城里。丽莎在一个老人的家里做帮手，而宗介的父亲是常常出海在外的海员。
The portrayal of ordinary family life, as in many other Ghibli movies, is particularly detailed and oddly beautiful; only Miyazaki could make a young mother pouring a cup of tea look like a work of art. The relationship between mother and son, and Lisa's mixture of anger and love for her husband, is also very nicely depicted. This is not just a domestic drama, though, but a fairytale; a young, magical fish called Ponyo who lives nearby in the ocean with her human-hating father wishes to see the land. She ends up being carried around in a bucket by Sosuke, and then transforming herself into a little girl to come back to see him after her father's "wave demons" recapture her.
