![]() This low angle view of the house emphasises its precariousness. ![]() ![]() This house is elevated because its occupants are separate from the ocean, but when Ponyo arrives she unites land and ocean, and the ocean literally rises to engulf the house. There is no safety to be had on top of a cliff. The cliff, on the other hand, is precarious. The mountain is where revelations happen. The mountain is where revelations happen (a la Moses), and in films, main characters often go to a high place in order to really work out what’s going on. The mountain in storytelling has quite different associations for the audience: The mountain is set in opposition to the plain. It is significant that this house is on a ‘cliff’ rather than on a mountain. But as soon as Sousuke meets Ponyo, his feminine, caring side has a chance to shine:ĭon’t worry, Ponyo. I think there’s something in the masculine/feminine associations - Miyazaki has definitely made use of the dichotomy by making Sousuke a boy and Ponyo a girl. Sky is a symbol of consciousness/ masculinity sea is the unconscious/ femininity. To be at the edge of a cliff is to be where earth meets both sea and sky. This comes off a dodgy-looking dream symbolism site, but I think it does apply to a lot of literature, and to this film as well: The cosy kitchen scenery Symbolism of the Cliff It’s by licking the blood from Sousuke’s thumb that Ponyo is able to become human, but the huge hunk of ham seems to seal the deal. The transmogrifyingmagic of food is repeated from Spirited Away in this film, in which by eating food from a different world, you become of that world - a literal interpretation of ‘You are what you eat’. In Ponyo we have the bowl of ramen (Chinese noodles) Apparently Miyazaki’s favourite noodles are the kind with spinach, but he avoids depicting that in film because it doesn’t look so great.
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