Ponyo, Fishy in the Sea!

A magic sea-witch named "Brunhilde," an angry papa who can't touch dry ground, and an incessant craving for ham.  These are all descriptive of a wonderful Ghibli classic, Ponyo, that I absolutely adore.  There are so many truly unique aspects of the film that make it special--not just the ham craving--and I'll reveal all of that below.

"HAM!"

Now, I know a lot of people who don't feel the same way about this movie that I do, but I think Ponyo's great.  Especially for younger audiences and for those audiences that are adult on the outside, but children at heart.  It's also a fun flick for little guys, as its main characters are young children.  So, it's relatable for the little dudes.

That said, it's still totally a film any art-loving human being of any age could enjoy.  So, go see it if you haven't already.

**There may or may not be spoilers below, so just in case...***

So, Ponyo (actually named "Brunhilde" by her sea-warlock father and ocean goddess mother) is a beautifully-animated movie that is all about the cute relationship between young Ponyo and Sosuke (about Kindergarten age).  Sosuke first meets Ponyo when she is in the form of a fish.  He sees her struggling and decides to help her, putting in her very own little bucket.  Sosuke then decided to name the fish "Ponyo" and tries his best to make sure she is comfortable.  There are not many verbal exchanges between the two at the very beginning other than Ponyo's enthusiastic shouting her new name, "Ponyo! Ponyo!"  For the most part, Ponyo sticks to stealing the ham out of her new friend's sandwich and to spitting water at people she finds slightly unsavory.  Then, Ponyo's papa steals her back, leaving Sosuke worried about his fishy buddy.

Sosuke, when he finds Ponyo in trouble.

Ponyo's first piece of ham!

As the film progresses, we get a really sweet story about a little girl doing everything possible to be with her best friend, Sosuke.  And it is very, very adorable.  Along the way, however, Ponyo faces a lot of obstacles due to the fact that she comes from a family with a super overprotective father and a pretty much all-powerful mama, who is both a bit scary and beautiful at the same time.

Ponyo's mother and father.

The story in this film is a great fit for a good Ghibli movie, and I'd give it a 9/10. It's so stinkin' cute, but not too cute, if you know what I mean (*cough, cough* Carebear-type stuff).  At the same time though, it's not a perfect story, so I give it a 9.  The music is a really good fit for the movie too.  Being that a lot of the film is placed under the ocean in Ponyo's original home, the music makes you feel like you're exploring the most marvelous reaches of the deep, blue sea.  And I love that scene where the music is playing and Ponyo's hitching a ride with the Jellyfishes.  That was a very artistic and, I'd say, enjoyable scene to experience.  I also am a fan of the oh-so-cute song that repeats "Ponyo, Ponyo, Ponyo, Fishy in the Sea!" as its adorable little chorus (listen to it below).  I imagine it might be annoying to some, but I'm a fan. :)  Overall, 8/10 for Music because there are some really awesome, memorable moments, but not all of it is 100% over-the-top amazing.

Ponyo, swimming with her sisters in an effort to find Sosuke.

Then there's the animation, which--hello--it's Ghibli, 10/10.  'Nuff said.

I just want to add another rating in here for the characterization, which I though was really great. Each of the characters is unique in their own way and is developed mostly through non-dialogue means, which I thought was fantastic.  I'd give the movie an 8/10 here because the characters were great, but some of them were sort of generic, though developed very well.

So, what's the verdict?  We give it an 8.5/10 overall.  We love it and will watch it again and again and again.  Cute movie, and we recommend it highly.

Thanks for reading, guys!  Ciao for now.

--Corey

The Ponyo theme song for you.  Try not to die of cuteness...