LOS ANGELES -- The enchanting 2008 animated feature Ponyo, crafted by renowned Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and the esteemed Studio Ghibli, narrates the tale of a fish-like being named Ponyo. She longs to transform into a human girl after forming a bond with a young boy, Sosuke, much to the concern of her sorcerer father.
Nearly twenty years post its debut, this beloved film is being revisited through a new interactive exhibition. Studio Ghibli's PONYO opens on February 14 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, which launched in 2021 with a Miyazaki retrospective. The exhibition aims to capture the film's magic and depth, showcasing Miyazaki's sketches and various production elements.
"He aimed to create a straightforward film with a simple plot for young audiences," explained exhibition curator Jessica Niebel to Hyperallergic. "While he accomplished that, Ponyo is also rich in layers and complexity."
Having previously created films targeting an older demographic, like Princess Mononoke (1997) and Spirited Away (2001), Miyazaki focused on younger viewers with Ponyo, which draws inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Little Mermaid. To enhance this experience, much of the exhibition is designed with lower sight lines, according to Shraddha Aryal, the Academy Museum's executive VP of exhibitions.
Interactive features include a movable Ponyo figure racing across waves and a large green bucket reminiscent of the one Sosuke uses to keep Ponyo, allowing smaller guests to crawl inside.
Additionally, an interactive animation table invites visitors to create their own stop-motion films using colorful sea creature cut-outs designed by Studio Ghibli. By utilizing their phones and a specific app, guests can rearrange various marine animals like squid, crabs, and pufferfish.
Miyazaki insisted on using only curved lines in the animation to reflect the organic shapes of Ponyo's underwater realm. "Eliminate straight lines. Employ gently warped lines that allow magic to flourish, freeing us from the constraints of perspective drawing. A world where even the horizon swells, dips, and sways," he expressed through a wall panel in the exhibition.
Aryal echoed this philosophy in the exhibition's layout, creating circular frames for the watercolor and pastel artworks by Art Director Noboru Yoshida.
Ponyo stands out as it was entirely hand-drawn, marking a return to traditional techniques after the incorporation of computer-generated imagery in earlier Ghibli films. The exhibition displays over 100 artifacts donated by Studio Ghibli, including several of Miyazaki's drawings, emphasizing the film's analog creation process. These items are showcased around a modest wooden desk once used by Ghibli animators.
These artifacts, imbued with the unique touch of human craftsmanship, are likely to resonate even more with contemporary audiences amidst a barrage of digitally created visuals that often blur the lines of reality.
The exhibition, Studio Ghibli's Ponyo, offers not just a comprehensive cinematic exploration but an evocative experience that channels the film's enchanting spirit.
"The film features moments that slow down and invite contemplation," Niebel noted, highlighting how the oversized bucket serves as an entry point into this tranquil and whimsical world. "Initially, we considered making it smaller, but our director Amy Homma suggested, 'What if adults want to crawl in as well?'"
