Let us dispense with the formalities up front. Ponyo, the latest from Japan's Hayao Miyazaki, is a film that deserves to be seen. More importantly, it is a film you deserve to see. From the very first moments of the dialog-free prologue, you'll know you're witnessing great art and that you'll be leaving the theater very happy.
A straight-up description of Ponyo is difficult because while on one hand it is fairy-tale simple in its broad strokes, it is also hallucinogenic in its disinterest in tethering itself to the constraints of our real world. The fairy tale simplicity, first. Ponyo (Noah Cyrus) and Sosuke (Frank Jonas—yes the leads here could cast an episode of "Disney Channel: The Younger Sibling") love each other but they're from opposite sides of the tracks. They wish to be together, but in doing so they introduce disharmony into their worlds; disharmony that can only be overcome through pure love and an acceptance of differences completely lacking in cynicism.
Now for the hallucinogenic stuff. Ponyo is a magical fish-like creature. Her father is a formerly human alchemist, Fujimoto (Liam Neeson), who lives on a submarine and is on a mission to to return the ocean to its primordial state, untainted by humans. Ponyo's mother is a sea goddess, Gran Mamare (Cate Blanchett), a being of ephemera and magic. Sosuke, though, is a normal 5-year-old boy living on in a cliff house with his mother (Lisa/Tina Fey) and his father (Matt Damon), who is often out to see on his fishing boat. Sosuke and Ponyo meet when he finds her stuck in a bottle and thinks she's a goldfish (Ponyo is a name he gives her). Their love is immediate and total, but unlike the romantic love of your typical fairy tale, this is the unemcumbered devotion of children for a new best friend or adored sibling.
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Unfortunately, when Ponyou decides she wants to stay with Sosuke and turns herself into a little human girl, the world begins to fall apart. The moon leaves its orbit, storms lash the earth, Devonian-era creatures return to the sea.
Miyazaki's world is one that appears to be ours, but it is also a world of magic and its casual acceptance. Nobody seems to be bothered by Sosuke carting around his new "goldfish" with a human-ish face and head of hair. Nor the fact that total world annihilation seems imminent. His characters are very much "go with the flow" people, just as children are—and just as you, for at least 90 minutes, should be.
Just let go and bask in the wild imagery of Studio Ghibli's wonderful hand-drawn animation (note: this is a very different sentiment from the "turn off your brain" advice proffered in defense of so many terrible movies). Give in to the success at creating tension in an actual car chase, but one where the car is being chased by an anthropomorphic ocean. Let yourself giggle (if only on the inside) at the visual cacophony accompanying Ponyo's second escape to dry land.
Some things that happen won't really make much sense (and I'm not sure if this is simply because they don't make much sense or if something is being lost in the translation). These are but minor quibbles immediately overwhelmed by the sheer pleasure the totality induces.
The more significant complaint is about the use of such recognizable voices. While personally it would be preferred that the original Japanese language track be used with subtitles, that would obviously never work for a movie so inclusive of young children. That said, everything about the visual style of Ponyo just screams "Japanese!" So it is jarring to have Matt Damon's voice emerge to read the five lines from Sosuke's father. Liam Neeson's Fuijimoto is a much more central character (and his voice is ever so pleasing) but it can't help but do battle with the visual. Betty White, Cloris Leachman, and Lily Tomlin all provide nice comedy relief as residents at a nearby nursing home, but it would have been better to not thinkingg "Betty! Cloris! Lily!" every time they spoke. Fortunately, Tina Fey and Cate Blanchett blend in well (that is, their voices are less obviously distinctive).
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For younger children, parents should be aware of a couple things. One, there is never really any peril in the movie but things do get intense in a couple places and may overwhelm some children. Second, one scene relies heavily entirely on subtitles and be prepared for a chorus of "what happened?" from children not yet able to read along.
Ponyo is not Miyazaki's masterpiece (I'd still go for Spirited Away or Porco Rosso first) but it is thoroughly wonderful and accessible to all ages in a way not seen in several films now. It harkens back to titles like My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service. If you loved those movies, you'll love Ponyo.
Ponyo is a Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Studio Ghibli film.
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Alex Stroup works in Web functional design and married his way into this Disney thing. He currently focuses on movie reviews for Disney theatrical releases and other family-friendly films.
