Comments on: Family Movie Night: “Porco Rosso” and “Castle in the Sky”

By: Jon Turner

Jon Turner — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 16:38:17 +0000

Yeah, Paquin didn’t exactly make her accent consistent, although I DID learn that she was born in Canada and grew up in New Zealand. I guess she was in a bit of a “mixed up” phase when she recorded the part. Personally, I liked the accent, as I felt it added to her character. But to each their own.

By: girldetective

girldetective — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 14:08:30 +0000

Jon, I was surprised by how young James was able to make his voice sound for Pazu. I did find Anna’s native Aussie accent to be distracting, as it waxed and waned.

By: Jon Turner

Jon Turner — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 23:43:10 +0000

If you ask me, I honestly like BOTH versions in different ways. The former version IS a good effort from Carl Macek, but Disney’s version also has its charms. I like Dakota and Elle Fanning as Satsuki and Mei, and the translation also feels a bit more smoother. I personally adore both dubs, but it’s really up to you to decide which one is better.

I’m glad to see that you loved the Disney dubs for LAPUTA, though, that dub is grossly underrated AFAIK; it’s not perfect but it certainly doesn’t deserve backlash. As mentioned, Hamill and Leachman were awesome, but I hope you liked the VAs for the pirates, the general, and Uncle Pom–those guys were just as great. The rescore was very nice as well. As far as the leads were concerned, I don’t think James or Anna are perfect for their characters, but they still did pretty OK in my book.

By: girldetective

girldetective — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 21:37:10 +0000

Jon, we own the early English dub of My Neighbor Totoro, and have watched it so many times it’s ingrained in my memory. When I tried to watch the later Disney version, it was jarring. Which of those do you prefer, and is your opinion able to be less prejudiced than mine?

By: Jon Turner

Jon Turner — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:15:23 +0000

Yay! Another fan of CASTLE IN THE SKY! I really appreciate you gave a shout-out to Leachman and Hamill’s performances; both are not only my favorites in the dub, they’re also some of my favorite Ghibli VAs, period.

As far as PORCO ROSSO goes, it’s not my favorite Miyazaki, but it’s still good. It was a bit funny at first hearing Cary Elwes as Curtis, but I got used to it. I really love Kimberly Williams-Paisley as Fio, though.

By: girldetective

girldetective — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 14:52:45 +0000

Inquirer, I borrowed it from the library recently, but didn’t have enough time to give it enough attention. I recently watched one of its recommended movies for kids, Stagecoach, and am not sure I can endorse that rec for young kids. I will get the book again, though, perhaps when we’ve cycled through some of the obvious ones in our collection.

By: Inquirer

Inquirer — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 11:05:56 +0000

I just purchased The Best Old Movies for Families by Ty Burr. You might want to check it out for ideas. We will be watching Errol Flynn as Robin Hood this Weekend.

By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:10:47 +0000

This is funny to me because it resonates. I’m trying to start a new Friday night tradition in our family–a nice dinner with a white tablecloth and candles. An end to the week, a celebration of making it, a marking of time, enjoying the upcoming weekend (a completely secular Shabbat eve meal, I guess). D loves it. TR would like to pull off the tablecloth. The food, however, is delicious.

Of course . . . I’m traveling this Friday and next, so my tradition is exactly one try old, so far.