Ponyo

Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Starring Tomoko Yamaguchi (Risa), Kazushige Nagashima (Kôichi), Yûki Amami (Granmamare).

Bottom line: Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is an adorable Miyazaki movie but because of the odd story, I wouldn’t recommend it as someone’s first Miyazaki movie.

3/4

If you aren’t familiar with Hayao Miyazaki, he’s like the Japanese Walt Disney. He and his studio, Studio Ghibli, are responsible for Spirited Away, Grave of Fireflies, Princess Mononoke and others. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (henceforth referred to as Ponyo) is one of their most recent films. I love Miyazaki movies, particularly how they animate water; Ponyo’s defining characteristic is that it’s about the sea so, naturally, it was on my to-watch list.

Plot wise, Ponyo feels pretty thin. There is a fish that wants to become a little girl. Only through true love can this happen…and also only through true love can she save the world from being flooded.

There isn’t too much else to say about this one, quite honestly. The animation is beautiful, Ponyo (Nara) and Sôsuke (the little boy, voice by Hiroki Doi, who finds Ponyo) are adorable, and the music is great, and it has a happy ending.

If you were unfamiliar with Miyazaki, I wouldn’t recommend this as your introduction to his movies because of the odd plot. I’d start off with something like Spirited Away or Kiki’s Delivery Service, and then after a little while, add Ponyo to your queue.

My wife and I have been watching a couple of Miyazaki movies so I’ll be writing some reviews about them in the next couple days. Next up: Princess Mononoke and Porco Rosso.

I checked on the cast of voice actors for both the original Japanese cast and the American dub. Looking at the cast, you can tell this was definitely a big budget movie; Matt Damon (Kôichi), Betty White (Sôsuke grandmother), Tina Fey (Sôsuke’s mom), and last but not least, the voice of the villain is Liam Neeson! We watched the original Japanese audio and it was great but, if you prefer dubs, I think Ponyo would be a good experience. Although, now that I’m thinking about it, Liam Neeson’s voice is so distinct I wonder if it would break my suspension of disbelief.

In writing this, I was going to include some links to my other reviews of Miyazaki movies but, in looking at my previous reviews to my shock, I don’t have any! So, I’ll have to build upon Ponyo to do a little series of Miyazaki movies. So, until then, thanks for reading! Please let me know, in the comments, your thoughts on Miyazaki!