Susan Granger’s review of “Ponyo” (Walt Disney Pictures)
From 68 year-old Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki (“Howl’s Moving Castle,” “Spirited Away”) comes “Ponyo” (pronounced PON-yo), the most delightful, family film that you’ve probably never heard of.
Loosely inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” it’s an imaginative fable about a willful, mischievous young goldfish named Ponyo (voiced by Noah Cyrus, Miley’s younger sister), who yearns to be a real girl. She’s watched over by her overly-protective sorcerer father, Fujimoto (voiced by Liam Neeson), who was once a man and now lives underwater in a self-contained bubble, despising humans for the destruction they’ve wreaked upon the ocean.
“Humans are disgusting,” he says, resentful of their trash and debris.
One day, Ponyo sneaks off and rides to the surface on a jellyfish, laughing fearlessly as she runs atop the turbulent waves during a typhoon. But when she’s inadvertently trapped in a glass jar and nearly dies, Ponyo is saved by intrepid five year-old Sosuke (voiced by Frankie Jonas, a younger sibling of those musical Jonas Brothers), who is adored by the elderly residents (voiced by Cloris Leachman, Betty White and Lily Tomlin) of the nursing home where his mother Lisa (voiced by Tina Fey) works as his father Koichi (voiced by Matt Damon) pilots cargo ships. Even before she magically becomes human, Ponyo and her friend Sosuke establish a strong bond of love and trust – which is tested when a gigantic flood threatens their town and only Ponyo’s sea goddess mother, Gran Mamare (voiced by Cate Blanchett), can restore nature’s balance.
Ever mindful of the environment, Hayao Miyazaki gently but resolutely gets across his message – that, in order to survive, humans must respect and take responsibility for protecting the natural world. Already a big hit in Japan, it’s been adroitly adapted for American audiences by screenwriter Melissa Matheson (“E.T.”) with vocals directed by John Lesseter (“Toy Story”) and Joe Hisaishi’s lush musical score.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Ponyo” is a visually stunning, enchanting 8, a fantastical, sweet-natured charmer that’s bound to delight children and adults alike.
