As you should already know, I love Hayao Miyazaki movies. I’ve already talked about his movies to death in my Castle of Cagliostro review, but I will say that his movies are absolutely beautiful. And Ponyo is no exception. Ponyo is one of his more recent movies and it’s also one of his only films that is made primarily for kids. That’s not to say that adults can’t watch this movie and love it, but it’s noticeably that this movie’s targeted audience was the kids. Most of Miyazaki’s other films are definitely viewable by children, but Ponyo in particular has a more innocent and fun charm to it.
Ponyo is about a fish named Brunhilde. Her father is a wizard named Fujimoto who lives underwater and tries to clean up pollution in the ocean left by us humans. One day, Brunhilde escapes from her father’s ship and finds a young boy named Sosuke who decides to name her Ponyo. While healing a cut on Sosuke’s finger, Ponyo is now able to become human since she has tasted Sosuke’s blood. While trying to find Sosuke again, she ends up causing a tsunami that floods the town. Sosuke, who’s now separated from his mother, goes along with Ponyo on a journey to find her. Meanwhile, Ponyo’s parents, Fujimoto and the Mother of the Sea, must also find Ponyo because if they don’t, the earth won’t stay in balance.
Ponyo is about a fish named Brunhilde. Her father is a wizard named Fujimoto who lives underwater and tries to clean up pollution in the ocean left by us humans. One day, Brunhilde escapes from her father’s ship and finds a young boy named Sosuke who decides to name her Ponyo. While healing a cut on Sosuke’s finger, Ponyo is now able to become human since she has tasted Sosuke’s blood. While trying to find Sosuke again, she ends up causing a tsunami that floods the town. Sosuke, who’s now separated from his mother, goes along with Ponyo on a journey to find her. Meanwhile, Ponyo’s parents, Fujimoto and the Mother of the Sea, must also find Ponyo because if they don’t, the earth won’t stay in balance.
Like Miyazaki’s other kids movies, Ponyo stays consistently happy throughout. There isn’t much peril or tension at all in this movie. It’s really just a movie that displays a lot of cute characters and the fun adventures that they go on. And much like other Hayao Miyazaki movies, there’s a lot of brilliant animation. Though the art style is more simple and cartoony than his other films, it still looks pretty extraordinary. Everything just looks beautiful. Ponyo showcases a lot of bright and creative imagery, and the movie in general is unbelievably cheerful. But maybe too cheerful.
There are a few problems that I had with this movie in certain scenes (though most of these problems could easily be overlooked by children). The parenting in this movie is kinda terrible. There's one scene where Sosuke’s mother tries driving to their house during a giant storm while almost getting hit by waves in the process, not only endangering her life, but Sosuke’s too. Also, it seems that everyone from the town is abnormally happy that their houses are flooded. The natural disasters in this movie don’t really affect these characters emotionally which can be bothersome at times.
There are a few problems that I had with this movie in certain scenes (though most of these problems could easily be overlooked by children). The parenting in this movie is kinda terrible. There's one scene where Sosuke’s mother tries driving to their house during a giant storm while almost getting hit by waves in the process, not only endangering her life, but Sosuke’s too. Also, it seems that everyone from the town is abnormally happy that their houses are flooded. The natural disasters in this movie don’t really affect these characters emotionally which can be bothersome at times.
Also, certain scenes can be looked at differently without any context. In one scene, Fujimoto (who’s a stranger to Sosuke) invites Sosuke to go underwater with him to see his mother. Rightfully, he runs away, but still, it’s a bit creepy. Also, similar to My Neighbor Totoro, this probably isn’t the movie for you if you're looking for some really in depth character development or story. But Ponyo isn’t really a movie that should bother you because of these things.
Though logic and intriguing storytelling are both thrown out the window, this is still an incredibly cute movie. Despite the characters not being the most interesting, they’re still so much fun to watch. The ham-loving Ponyo is adorable and infectiously energetic. The “romance” between Ponyo and Sosuke is also really sweet too. It’s really fun to see them interact. The other characters are very likable too. Though a terrible mother, Lisa is still a funny character. I also really liked Fujimoto as the protective and worried parent.
Though logic and intriguing storytelling are both thrown out the window, this is still an incredibly cute movie. Despite the characters not being the most interesting, they’re still so much fun to watch. The ham-loving Ponyo is adorable and infectiously energetic. The “romance” between Ponyo and Sosuke is also really sweet too. It’s really fun to see them interact. The other characters are very likable too. Though a terrible mother, Lisa is still a funny character. I also really liked Fujimoto as the protective and worried parent.
Ponyo isn’t one of Hayao Miyazaki’s more thoughtful films, but it’s so freaking kawaii! Ponyo isn’t very logical at all, but it’s fun, incredibly happy, and sometimes educational. It kept a big smile on my face through almost the entire runtime. There’s beautiful imagery and extraordinary animation. Miyazaki’s creativity shines in this movie and it’s amazing. Ponyo is mostly just cute fluff, but it’s so incredibly uplifting that it’s almost guaranteed to make you smile. Sure, Castle in the Sky and Spirited Away are much better movies, but Ponyo is cuter.
Images from Wikipedia and Blu-ray.com
Images from Wikipedia and Blu-ray.com