Movie Review: Ponyo

So let me start by saying I am one of Hayao Miyazaki's biggest fans. No joke; I have a movie poster of Ponyo that I got for free at a movie theater taped up to my wall and have seen almost all of his movies in English AND Japanese. So let's hope I'm not biased too much.

Ponyo, a movie based off the story of The Little Mermaid, is a pure delight. Ringing in at an hour and forty minutes, it's not too long and not too short; just the right time for a children's movie. Yes, it is a children's movie. You can tell by the relatively simple plot (actually, very simple that I'm debating whether or not it had a real conflict or not, but more on that later), the bright colors, the minimal and unfussy drawing techniques (not so much textures and shadings as his more intense movies, such as Howl's Moving Castle), and the fact that the two main stars in this movie are, in fact, kids.

Five year-olds, to be precise. Sosuke, voiced by Frankie Jonas (yes, he's the little brother to THE Jonas Brothers), and Ponyo herself, voiced by Noah Lindsey Cyrus (yes, she's the little sister to THE Miley Cyrus), star as the kid and the mermaid who fall in love with each other, causing said mermaid to become human for her friend. The plot, as I said before, is simple enough so that the other five year-olds who also went to see the movie didn't ask their "mommies" or "daddies" what was going on every five seconds. Simple enough though, that my sister turned to me as the credits were rolling and said, "As much as I loved this, was there even a conflict?" Since I am such a huge Miyazaki fan, my instinct was to puff up my chest and defend the plot, excusing it by saying, "It's a children's movie, it has to be simple." To which she replied, "But was there even an obstacle?"

Now it was my turn to think. Was there? Well let's see. Ponyo is a princess goldfish and is the daughter of the powerful sea-wizard, Fujimoto (voiced impeccably by Liam Neeson) and the even more powerful sea-goddess, Gran Mamare (Cate Blanchett, doing a voice very close to the one she used in Lord of the Rings). She is brought ashore one day and is caught by a young boy named Sosuke, whose mother Lisa is voiced by the lovely Tina Fey. Eventually, Ponyo turns into a real girl and stays with Sosuke and Lisa during a terrible sea-storm, which gives opportunities for Ponyo to show off her humorous side (which I laughed very hard at). So far, we have no conflicts. But what about when Gran Mamare and Fujimoto confer with each other about Ponyo's human-ness? Umm...nope, no problem there either. But what about the fact that Ponyo's powers have grown while being human and that if she stays human her powers will continue to grow out of control and cause the moon to get closer and closer to earth which causes the ocean water to swell and flood cities and won't stop unless Ponyo goes back home or stays with Sosuke if he proclaims his love for her? Well, that could be your problem right there. Hah, take that sister! Although, one must agree; it is presented so simplistically, one would have a hard time to acknowledge it.

But is that a bad thing? No, I actually praise Miyazaki for that. If it were complicated into a huge complex series of problems, my little baby cousins and the rest of the five year-olds watching it might have no clue what's going on. Because after all, it is a children's movie. Not a romantic love story like Howl's, not the whimisical tall-tale that is My Neighbor Totoro, but a children's movie.

So how do I rate it? Well, it's certainly not my favorite (that would be Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle), but it definitely ranks as one of the highest. Although, all Miyazaki films rank the highest for me. Because Miyazki just happens to be one of the best film makers of our time. So what better excuse do you need to go take your little baby siter and go see it?