So a brief tangent here from my typical posts on vacation homes and Disney pins... especially for those of you who are fans of animation and may not have heard of Hayao Miyazaki. I'm glad to be able to use this post to make this introduction.

Hayao Miyazaki is considered a genius among animators, and his films have inspired numerous American animated films - including many of the Pixar films. John Lasseter, the Chief Creative Officer at Pixar is an unabashed fan of Miyazaki films, and to quote,

"At Pixar, when we have a problem and we can't seem to solve it, we often take a laser disc of one of Mr. Miyazaki's films and look at a scene in our screening room for a shot of inspiration. And it always works! We come away amazed and inspired. Toy Story owes a huge debt of gratitude to the films of Mr. Miyazaki."

High praise indeed. My first exposure to his films was with "My Neighbor Totoro", which I had bought for my kids based on some rave reviews I had read. If was fascinating and magical. Numerous adult themes, wrapped in a wonderful story about two little girls and a host of forest spirits.

Film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times identified "My Neighbor Totoro" as one of his all-time "Great Movies". Ebert reviewed the film,

"My Neighbor Totoro is based on experience, situation and exploration—not on conflict and threat," and described its appeal: "...it would never have won its worldwide audience just because of its warm heart. It is also rich with human comedy in the way it observes the two remarkably convincing, lifelike little girls... It is a little sad, a little scary, a little surprising and a little informative, just like life itself. It depends on a situation instead of a plot, and suggests that the wonder of life and the resources of imagination supply all the adventure you need."

If you ask my kids, they'll say they loved the weird little bunnies, the Cat Bus, and the catchy tunes.

Our first movie going experience came with "Howl's Moving Castle", when Hayao came out of retirement to write and direct this adaption of the Diana Wynne Jones novel. A whole cast of stars - Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Billy Crystal - and a fantastic storyline made this one of my favorite movies ever, and it was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards.

There are numerous other Miyazaki films I can comment on... but I'd rather hit upon the point of the post.

Disney is releasing a BRAND NEW Miyazaki film... "Ponyo on a Cliff".

The story revolves around a five-year old boy, Sosuke, and the Princess goldfish, Ponyo, who wants to become human. Sort of like a "Little Mermaid"... but using a real fish instead of a mermaid.

I don't have many more details... reviews are trickling out from Japan, where Miyazaki's film "Spirited Away" owns the box office record at $292 million in Japan alone, but I'm going to hold off reading too much so I can go in fresh to the film.

True be told, though... I can't wait! And if you're new to his work, I highly recommend heading out to rent or buy... you won't be disappointed!