Ponyo (2008)

Ponyo is the latest animated feature from world renowned director Hayao Miyazaki. The story follows a young fish (Yuria Nara) who escapes from her father (who is some kind of eccentric sorcerer who lives under the sea in a submarine with wings that is encased in bubbles) and makes her way to the surface. Ending up outside of a port town she gets lost and washes to shore where she is eventually found by a five year old boy named Sosuke (Hiroki Doi), who immediately takes a liking to his new discovery which he names Ponyo and believes has magical powers. After her father manages to rescue her by stealing her from Sosuke, he discovers to his horror that not only does she want to become a human, but that she has fallen in love with Sosuke. During her second escape, she inadvertently unleashes her father’s magic and not only turns herself into a human with magical powers, but causes a typhoon that hits the town where Sosuke lives.

To start off, I loved this film and it is another instant classic from Miyazaki. Sosuke and Ponyo are so innocent and sweet (but not in a way that they become annoying) that it’s hard not to be happy as you watch their story unfold. All the supporting characters are great as well, especially Ponyo’s parents. Fujimoto (Ponyo’s father, who is voiced by Jôji Tokoro) seems like he may be the villain (though it’s hard to describe anyone in this film as a villain) but he’s often very funny and you can see that he really cares for his daughter. Sosuke’s mother (Tomoko Yamaguchi) is well written and fleshed out while Ponyo’s mother (Yûki Amami) is a sea goddess that you have to actually see to truly understand. The animation in this film is (as always) incredible and very in some ways very different from his other works. The water is particularly fascinating to look at, and not at all like the way it’s portrayed in his other films (as well as any other film for that matter). It’s definitely a departure from what is usually seen in other animated films such as Finding Nemo, where the water animation is so realistic that it’s easy to forget its animated, in Ponyo however, there is never really an instance where, as an audience, you are not aware of the water’s animation. During the typhoon sequence for example, the waves become inconceivably tall and often take the form of giant fish. This may sound strange, but watching it happen seems so natural and fits well with the style of animation. In fact, one of the most memorable scenes in the film is when during the typhoon, Ponyo literally runs on top of these colossal fish-waves searching for Sosuke. The water becomes a living character and not simply part of the environment.

As usual, Joe Hisaishi, one of the great modern composers (Welcome to Dongmakgol, Dolls, and more notably: all of Miyazaki’s films), does all the music for the film further cementing the tone of the story as a fantasy despite the more modern day settings. The sense of wonderment that the two kids have as they explore the flooded town and can see all kinds of strange creatures swimming underneath is contagious. Hayao Miyazaki is often compared to Walt Disney but at this point, I think it’s safe to say that the Miyazaki library of films has not only matched but surpassed the classic Disney films in terms of quality and lasting power. These stories are timeless and enjoyable for children and adults alike. Ponyo is a must see.