At the theater to see Ponyo, there was nearly half an hour of loud pre-movie advertising; tie-in promotions; movie trailers; market-synergistic play-by-the-numbers boy-band music videos; concessions ads; pointless, CG-laden, self-congratulatory theater chain identifications; and pointless, CG-laden self-congratulatory and highly amplified sound system identifications.

Then the Studio Ghibli logo shows on the screen, and there’s scattered applause.

The kid, three rows back: “Is the movie over?”