Overall Rating
Excellent
Story: 4
Dialogue: 5
Animation: 5
Entertainment: 5
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Studio Ghibli has a tendency to adapt children’s books where their movies aren’t entirely original; some of their more popular movies are adaptions (Howl’s Moving Castle, Arrietty, Kiki’s Delivery Service, …). “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” isn’t exactly an adaptation of a book, but nevertheless a rendition of a popular tale; namely, Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little Mermaid”; and it certainly fares no worse than that one.
Fairy tales aren’t known for intrigues, mysteries, and thrilling developments, and “Ponyo” doesn’t differ in this regard. The story is simple to the point of being predictable; yet that doesn’t mean it’s no good. Studio Ghibli has its own charm that shines through each of their works, and again, “Ponyo” is no exception. The storyline is beautiful, quite imaginative, and in parts far more symbolic than I expected in a movie primarily aimed at kids. And the setting’s practically a fairy tale in itself; chock-full of colourful fantasy, inspiring, and detailed.
As with many Ghibli movies, the character cast shines. Character design is simple, but quite realistic, comparably relatable as I mentioned, and the main characters are nothing short of adorable. XD
And then there’s the emotion. It’s quite simple again--innocent love and some simple drama--but heartwarming, involving, and about as down-to-earth as fantasy gets. The dialogue only helps, too. It’s straightforward, sure, but honest and emotional, and definitely true to the characters. The voice acting’s quite good as well.
In terms of technical aspects, Miyazaki’s outdone himself this time. The animation’s impressive; the art is still the Ghibli-ly colourful, rounded, vibrant style that’s become so famous over the years; and the music is quite soothing overall.
So, um… final point? It’s Ghibli. Pure, simple, honest, sweet, imaginative, lovable, fantastically heartwarming, and with a clear message for those that still want one. It is predictable in its story (and somewhat the message too), yes, but it’s powerful at what it does apart from that; imagination; emotion; symbolic language and bits of philosophy if you care to dig; and overall being as sweet and relatable as fantasy can be.
At first glance, “Ponyo” may look like a mere children’s movie, being a rendition of a fairy tale, and one of Ghibli’s more kid-friendly works. And it is a great movie for the kids, or the whole family for that matter. It’s not only that, though; it’s powerful at what it does, imaginative, beautiful, involving, and absolutely heartwarming.
If you liked Miyazaki’s other movies (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Howl’s Moving Castle), check this one out; it doesn’t disappoint.
Cheers!~
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