Ponyo is an animated movie about a goldfish princess who longs to become human. It’s a story clearly inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s, “The Little Mermaid,” but stands on its own quite well. In the beginning, Ponyo escapes her overprotective father and falls in love with a boy from a seaside village named Sosuke. Her parents ultimately give her a chance to make her dream of being human a reality by testing Sosuke’s ability to love Ponyo as she is, both as a fish and a person. Sosuke is successful, Ponyo is transformed, and the world is saved…literally.
Ponyo’s plot is very simple, and by that I mean there isn’t much in the symbolism department, which is odd for a Miyazaki film. However, it is beautifully animated and perfectly fits the needs of a child’s story. My favorite character had to be Ponyo's father, show started off as an antagonist, but actually changed roles pretty smoothly. Note that I’m not saying it’s only for kids, far from it. Ponyo is a real treat for anyone who enjoys high caliber animation. As with any of Hayao Miyazaki film, the music is great, the characters are well designed, and the dubbing is top notch. Just don’t expect anything deeper then what it is. Princess Mononoke, this is not.
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