Ponyo (2009) - Movie Review for Parents

Bottom line: Much more child-oriented than some of Hayao Miyazaki's other films, Ponyo gives us an extraordinary new take on the tale of "The Little Mermaid" that will fascinate and entertain children and adults alike. This little adventure does have a couple of perilous situations that may be very scary to young kids.

MPAA Rating: G
Guide age recommendation: 3+
Genre: Animated/Adventure
Runtime: 103 minutes
Release Date: August 14, 2009

Ponyo Clip: Teaching Ponyo
Ponyo Featurette: Telling the Story
Ponyo Movie Trailer

Ponyo - Summary

The intensely beautiful and unique imagery of Hayao Miyazaki surges to life in this imaginative story inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Little Mermaid." A musical panorama of underwater sea life introduces us to a strange and adorable creature, referred to later in the film as a gold fish, who rises to the surface of the sea and is very unfortunately caught up in a net and forced into a bottle. As the fading fish is washed up toward the shore, Sosuke, a young boy on the beach, finds the bottle and rescues the unusual little fish; she licks and heals a small wound on his thumb, and he names her "Ponyo."

Promising to take care of her forever, Sosuke introduces Ponyo to life on land. His mother, Lisa, and the women who reside at the senior care center where she works are quite fond of Sosuke and show interest in his new fish friend, at least most of them do. Ponyo and Sosuke form a fast bond as he carries her around in his little green pail. But alas, the girl's father, an eccentric man who monitors the balance of life in the sea, comes to collect her and take her back home. Sosuke is devastated by the loss of his friend, but no more so than Ponyo, who determines to make herself a human and find her Sosuke again.

The balance of life is upset, putting the world in danger, when Ponyo makes her return to land. She is changed for now, but in order for that to last, Sosuke must show courage and make a decision. At only five years old, is he capable of showing such character and passing the test Ponyo's parents have in store?

Ponyo - Guide Review for Parents

Some may characterize Hayao Miyazaki's work as strange; the stories he tells are not packaged up and tied with a nice, neat little bow, as many of us in the US are used to. Also, Ponyo contains some phrases and scenes that may seem awkward or weird to Americans. The morals of his stories are sometimes ambiguous, and the characters multifaceted. He is renowned for these intriguing tales, though, and even more so for the intriguing imagery which brings them to life.

Ponyo is no less a masterpiece than Miyazaki's other films, but it is much simpler, and perfectly suited for children. The story is about young children and is told from their perspective. Not only will young children identify with Sosuke and Ponyo, but they will likely be delighted by them, and mesmerized by the beautiful animation of the film. This is not to say that adults will not enjoy the film as well, it is delightful and many will find the unfamiliar style interesting.

The movie does contain some moments of peril that may be frightening or unsettling for young children. Children may be afraid of the eccentric and slightly creepy (at least at first) Fujimoto, who is Ponyo's father. Also, Sosuke lives "on a cliff by the sea," and the weather gets terrifyingly severe at times. Children may be unsettled by the dangerous storms or the flooding they cause, especially during times when Sosuke is not with his mother. For a more detailed account of the content in the movie, please see the "Content Overview" below.

Ponyo - Content Overview

*May contain spoilers.

• Violence (Low): Most of the violence in the movie is due to the weather. Violent storms send enormous waves on the the land, and some characters are in peril due to the winds and waters. In one scene, though, Ponyo's father holds her tightly so that she cannot turn into a human, and it almost appears that he is squishing her.
• Sex/Nudity (None):
• Drugs and Alcohol (Low): In exasperation, Sosuke's mother gets a can out of the fridge that appears to be beer. Fujimoto drinks and uses various elixirs during the movie..
• Language (Very Low): No profanity is used. Some mildly rude expressions such as "jerk" or "bug off" are used.
• Disrespectful/Imitative Behavior (Medium): The children in the movie act a couple of times in defiance of authority, like when Ponyo tries to escape from her father and goes to the surface even though he has told her not to. Also, Ponyo engages in some silly behavior at Sosuke's house due to the fact that she is not familiar with general human behavior (she puts her feet on the table intending to eat with them, for instance.) Some mildly rude exchanges occur, like when Sosuke's mother calls Ponyo's father a "freak show," but she then reminds Sosuke that he shouldn't call anyone that, because it is not right to judge people by their looks. Lisa also drives a bit crazy and chooses to take risks instead of going the safe route. One other safety note: the children on the movie use matches to light a candle, which may be something kids think they can imitate at home.

• Scary Scenes (Medium): Content listed under "violence" may be frightening for kids. Very young children may be frightened by Pony's father, a somewhat creepy looking man, or by his creatures, which look like waves with eyes, that come up on shore to get Ponyo and take her back. Scenes in which the characters are in peril due to the weather or other concerns may also frighten or unsettle children, especially one scene in a dark tunnel. Because Sosuke's mother leaves Ponyo and Sosuke in order to help some people at the senior center, the kids go through some adventures all alone, and Sosuke worries about Ponyo and about his mother.
• Sad/Unsettling Scenes (High): A couple of times during the movie, Sosuke is afraid that Ponyo has died, but she always ends up fine. He does lose her for a while, though, which is very devastating to the 5-year-old boy. At one point, Sosuke also becomes distressed when he can't find his mother.

  Sosuke's father travels, and in one scene his mother goes into a bit of a depression when he informs her that he will not be home when expected. She lays down and cries, and uses the signal light to tell him to "bug off" several times.

Ponyo Topics to Discuss

• After seeing Ponyo , kids may have questions about: sea creatures, magic, violent storms, senior centers, elixirs, the idea that "humans are disgusting (a remark made by Ponyo's father about the pollution).

Ponyo Bonus Features

• The World of Ghibli: Visit the lands of several Miyazaki films
• Behind the Studio: Find out about the background and making-of Ponyo and other Ghibli productions.