Concerning Ponyo

A little boy named Sosuke (Frankie Jonas) finds a beautiful red goldfish stuck in a bottle in the ocean. Unbeknown to him, this "goldfish" is really the daughter of an ex-human man and the goddess of the sea. After licking a little of Sosuke's blood off his finger, the newly-named Ponyo (Noah Cyrus) gains the ability to become human. But her choice to do so upsets the balance of the world, putting everyone on earth in danger.

The perfect word to describe this movie is "whimsical." The colors, animation, story, and above all the two little kids, are very reminiscent of a good, old-fashioned bedtime story. My favorite part of the movie was Ponyo. She is the very picture of a little girl on a new, exciting adventure - running around the house with the light on her head especially caught my attention.

Along with Ponyo's sweetness, I was impressed by the portrayal of Sosuke's mom, as well as the seniors in the senior center. Instead of reprimanding Sosuke for "making up a story" about his fish that became human, his mother accepts it without comment. Ordinarily, the disbelief of the parent(s) is one obstacle for kids to overcome, but that wasn't the case in this movie. The respect shown for the seniors in the senior center was impressive also. Wheelchair-bound seniors generally don't make their way into kids' movies.

With the positive elements in mind, there was an element I didn't really care for. The two mothers in the movie are stronger than the fathers, although it's more glaringly obvious with Ponyo's parents than Sosuke's. The goddess might also be a little problematic for some, but I don't see it as much different than the witch-queen in Snow White or even the fairy godmother in Cinderella. Kids just need to understand that it's only a bedtime story.

Having said that, I'm not sure how little kids would view this movie. For me, the appeal was in the beautiful animation (the traditional kind; this wasn't computer-generated like Pixar) and the innocence of the kids, two things that probably wouldn't make any difference to someone who is still a little kid. There is a little humor, but not the kind that (in my experience) makes little kids roar with laughter. In the end, Ponyo is a wonderful little story that can by enjoyed to some extent by both kids and adults, though it probably won't be anyone's favorite animated movie.

Note: This is a Japanese movie dubbed in English

My Rating: OK (a goddess, slight conflict between spouses)