Ponyo (2008)

• Year: 2008
• Released: 14 Aug 2009
• Country: Japan
• Adwords: 12 wins & 20 nominations
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0876563/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ponyo
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/ponyo
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English, Japanese
• MPA Rating: G
• Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
• Runtime: 101 min
• Writer: Hayao Miyazaki, Melissa Mathison
• Director: Hayao Miyazaki
• Cast: Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson
• Keywords: anime, princess, mother, father, mermaid,

	7.6/10
	86/100
	91% – Critics
	83% – Audience

Ponyo Storyline

The son of a sailor, 5-year-old Sosuke lives a quiet life on an oceanside cliff with his mother Lisa. One fateful day, he finds a beautiful goldfish trapped in a bottle on the beach and upon rescuing her, names her Ponyo. But she is no ordinary goldfish. The daughter of a masterful wizard and a sea goddess, Ponyo uses her father’s magic to transform herself into a young girl and quickly falls in love with Sosuke, but the use of such powerful sorcery causes a dangerous imbalance in the world. As the moon steadily draws nearer to the earth and Ponyo’s father sends the ocean’s mighty waves to find his daughter, the two children embark on an adventure of a lifetime to save the world and fulfill Ponyo’s dreams of becoming human.

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Ponyo Movie Reviews

It’s like drugs….good drugs,….but still drugs! And drugs that the whole family can enjoy!

I have a strong feeling that what you think of this film will strongly depend on your frame of reference. If you’ve never seen a Miyazaki film before, then it will probably confuse the heck out of you. If you have seen a Miyazaki film before, then it will still probably confuse the heck out of you….but you won’t really care! That’s because I found that the first time I saw one of his animated films, I tried too hard to figure out what was happening and why–and it impacted my enjoyment of the film. Now that I have seen just about every Miyazaki film, I see the bizarreness and just take it all in–enjoying the beauty of it all. In many ways, these films (at least to Western audiences) is like drugs–lots of strange and beautiful images that don’t always initially make sense but sure feel great to see!! Of all the Miyazaki films, this might have the most unusual and incomprehensible story line–even more so than SPIRITED AWAY and PRINCESS MONONOKE or MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO. But, like these and many other Studio Gibli films, if you just sit back and watch you are rewarded with a fabulous tale. But, because it is so hard to describe (and others have already done so), I won’t even go there.

As for the artwork, it’s very typical of one of these Japanese films, though there was one noticeable change. There was a very extensive use of what looked like colored pencils for the backgrounds. This was NOT a bad thing at all–the lovely pastel-like look was very pleasing and unique. In some ways it looked like a tiny bit of Bill Plympton’s art style was infused into a typical Miyazaki film. With a high frame-rate, exceptional character animation (which imbued them with tons of personality) and a great “wow-factor”, this is an exceptional film for all ages. Though clearly designed more for younger audiences (the TOTORO fans especially), it is a bit scary here and there (during the storm segments) but there is plenty of great stuff for adults. As an adult (at least chronologically so), I loved the cute stuff and applaud the other-worldliness of the film.

A great film–among Miyazaki’s best. I don’t give it a 10 because I am hesitant to ever do that–plus I did like a few of the studio’s other films a bit more (particularly TOTORO). But that DOESN’T mean you shouldn’t rush out now and see it–do it and do yourself a favor.

A magical and charming delight

This is not my absolute favourite from Miyazaki, but I still loved it. Ponyo was very magical and charming. I did feel though the ending could have had a little more to it, I am not sure whether I’d use the word incomplete but it didn’t leave me completely satisfied. Small criticism aside, the animation is exquisite, typical Miyazaki really- Ethereal colours, beautiful backgrounds and interesting character designs make up the animation here. Another delight was the music, melodious, memorable and of sheer beauty. The script is good too, and I also loved the simple yet magical story and the charming characters especially the very sweet protagonist. The voice acting is top notch too, it is quite emotive and never feels bland. In conclusion, really quite charming and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Terrific Studio Ghibli movie

Well, what can I say? I absolutely adored PONYO, Studio Ghibli’s answer to THE LITTLE MERMAID, which takes the Disney cartoon and bypasses it in every way imaginable. This is a tremendously entertaining children’s film made with real heart and imagination. Although there’s an environmental message, it isn’t shoved down the viewer’s throat (like in PRINCESS MONONOKE) and despite copious sentimentality this is never saccharine sweet or sickening; it’s just a really good film.

The story is simple, straightforward and works all the better for being so: it’s the tale of a goldfish called Ponyo who yearns to be human, and the young boy living on the coast who befriends her. Although there are journeys into a fantastic undersea kingdom, much of the film is set in the real world, where the human characters have to deal with the very real threats of tsunamis and the like.

The animation is stunning, the characters are lovely and the story as a whole has a warm fuzzy glow to it. Yes, this is a kid’s film through and through, but it’s one I watched and loved as an adult. PONYO is my second favourite Ghibli movie, just behind GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES.