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My Beautiful Girl, Mari is a story of two childhood friends, Nam-woo and Jun-ho, who are growing up in a fishing village full of unwanted change. With the discovery of a glowing marble, Nam-woo sometimes finds himself in a lush, dreamlike world, inhabited by a beautiful girl named Mari. With more change inevitable, Nam-woo and Jun-ho struggle to cope with reality, even when tragedy strikes.
Chihiro and her family are on their way to their new home, when they discover an abandoned amusement park. After Chihiro's family mysteriously turn into pigs, she is thrown into a surreal world of magic and fantasy. Join her as she struggles to survive in the bathhouse of the gods, ruled by an evil witch who has stolen not only her name, but her way back to the real world.
Taeko Okajima lives a nondescript life in Tokyo performing office duties in the day and then coming home in the evening to listen to her mother’s remarks on the phone about her unmarried status. In a bid to escape the monotony, Taeko decides to visit the countryside she once loved as a child and spend time on a safflower farm run by relations of hers. But her journey awakens memories she thought she had long abandoned, and Taeko must once again decide the kind of person she truly wants to be.
Five-year-old Gilson and his blind sister Gami are orphans who wander the countryside searching for their mother. By chance, the pair are discovered by monks who inhabit the hillside, and are taken under their wing in body and spirit. Throughout the seasons, Gilson and Gami lead a quiet life in the monastery, learning about life and the teachings of Buddha, until one day, Gilson decides to accompany one of the monks to a temple in the mountains. With the snowfall comes great change, and soon, nothing will be the same...
Two ambituous, languidly-paced and serious-minded Korean animated dramas that are mature and mostly realistic, though Mari also has a strong fantasy component. Neither are exactly perfect but they make for charming and interesting viewing and if perchance you have seen one consider giving the other a try.
Ponyo is a goldfish who lives in the sea, and has an over-protective magician for a father. Soon Ponyo runs away from home and is rescued by a five-year-old boy named Sosuke. As she wants nothing more than to understand what it's like to be a human being, Ponyo uses magic to transform into a human girl, and the two begin to form a special bond. However, this magic results in drastic consequences, and one final test stands in Ponyo's way before she can truly be human. Can Ponyo fulfill her dream, or is she destined to return to the sea?
Gorgeous kaliope of design and a vast storybook of watercolored backgrounds.
The story of both are magical tales that can be viewed by all. Family friendly, but still fun if your older as well.
Prepare for some wonderful stories from both. One is more dreamlike (Mari) and one is more environmental fantasy (Ponyo). Both are a treat.
With the rise of the Iron Age in feudal Japan, man and nature grow increasingly at odds. As mankind infringes more and more into the kingdom of the beasts, many of the elder animal gods begin to succumb to their rage, cursing themselves as they lash out at rural and urban settlements alike. When a young Ashitaka, hero of his village, is imparted with one of these curses after slaying a crazed god, he forces himself into exile to prevent further harm to his village. As he ventures out into the world, however, he discovers just how dire the straights have become - with man and beast ready to break into all out war, his curse becomes the least of his problems. As both sides teeter dangerously on the side of outright slaughter of one another, Ashitaka sets his own problems aside and, using his charisma and honor, seeks to quell the hatred before it gets beyond repair - but will he be in time or is he simply delaying the inevitable?
