From up on Poppy Hill
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FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013 |CHICAGO SUN-TIMES | 9 ‘PoppyHill,’latestMiyazakiproject, adisappointment Collaborative effort ‘FROMUPONPOPPYHILL’ ★★½ lacks enchantment With the voices of: of past Ghibli films Umi ..........................................................Sarah Bolger BY ROGER EBERT Shun....................................................... Anton Yelchin FILM CRITIC Jmaru ......................................................Beau Bridges Suzaki .................................................Jamie LeeCurtis his wasaday Ididn’t see coming.The latest Hana ..................................................Gillian Anderson Tfilm from Japan’s Yoshio ........................................................ Bruce Dern Studio Ghibli, which sets the worldstandardfor anima- GKids presents afilm directed by Goro Miyazaki. Writ- tion, is adisappointment. ten by Hayao Miyazaki and KeikoNiwa, based on astory Directed by Goro Miyazaki, by Tetsuro Sayama, based on the manga by Chizuru in his first collaboration Takahashi. Running time: 91 minutes. Rated PG (for mild with his father,the legend- thematic elements and some incidental smoking images). ary Hayao,“From Up on Opening Friday at Landmark Century. PoppyHill” (2011) centers on two likable and perfectly straightforwardcollegestu- and decides it needs agood ian shape-shifters. The two dents whodonothing very scrubbing down. With her leadcharactersare standard extraordinary and areina friends she throwsout junk, bland figures, round-faced, platonic romance. TwoJapanese teens trytosave aneighborhood from destruction in “From Up on PoppyHill,” scrubs the floors, dusts and round-mouthed, unremark- The film’s heroisactually directed by Goro Miyazaki, the son of anime master Hayao Miyazaki. arranges. And just in time; able. aramshackle old mansion theyhope to persuade Chair- The artistry is peaceful named the Latin Quarter. Arattling chandelier looms grandmother in aboard- demolition to makeroom for man Jmaru (Beau Bridges) and comforting to the eyes One of those structures above its grand staircase, ing house overlooking the Tokyo’supcoming Sum- to come foratour. but not especially stirring. much lovedbyHayao Mi- which likeeverything in the harbor.Every morning,she mer Olympics. Umimeets This story is accompa- Given the pictorial extremes yazaki, likethose in “Howl’s building,iscaked with dust. rises early to hoist flags as Shun (Anton Ye lchin), a nied by plot twists, some thatStudio Ghibli has gone Moving Castle”orthe float- Forthis English-language an aid to her father,whose club member whogives suspense and fairly routine to in the past, “UponPoppy ing bathhouse in “Spirited version, ahigh-profile ship sank during the Korean her alift into town on his developments. What’s Hill” is weak tea. Perhaps Away,” it’s aclubhouse un- American cast wasre- War. He taught her the naval bike, and proudly shows her missing arethe complex, Miyazaki, as before, has folding in all directions into cruited: Jamie LeeCurtis, language of flags,and now around the clubhouse.She’s baroque charactersoften correctly gauged his nation’s performances spaces, stu- Beau Bridges, BruceDern, she dreams this skill will impressed by the originality created by Miyazaki, likethe temperament. “From Up on dios, laboratories, galleries, etc.UponPoppyHill, above reunite them, and energy of the members, crone whoruns the bath- PoppyHill” maynot look like and other precincts favored the town, Umi(voiced by It is 1963.The Latin joins in ademonstration house in “Spirited Away,” or it wasJapan’s top grosser of by its bohemian members. Sarah Bolger) lives with her Quarter is earmarkedfor to protect the clubhouse thatfilm’s little KarlMarx- 2011, but it most surely was..