Feelings from play to painting are somewhat careless. Of course, this may be a choice to pursue a certain overall style. Compared to the outstanding portrayal of several minor characters, the main drama conflict of the film is neither suspenseful nor exciting. What is gratifying is that some of the details of the design are very interesting: whether the ordinary human beings can afford to live from all the love of the sea?

Rescued by a human boy, an inquisitive goldfish grows human features and becomes a young girl herself in this fantasy film from Hayao Miyazaki. On the surface, 'Ponyo' might sound like a simple fairy- tale, but with such youthful and altruistic protagonists, the film soon becomes less of a love story and a more a fantasy indulgence movie in which a boy's greatest dream of being able to play with his new pet like a best friend comes true. The goldfish's father, who comes to the surface to bring her home, is an unexpectedly fascinating character too; he is the ultimate overprotective parent, ruing "if you can only remain pure and innocent forever", with the film as much a tale about parents letting go and letting their kids be themselves as is it a film about pet relationships. Not everything about the film totally adds up; the boy's mother, for instance, does not even stop to question who this little girl is who claims that she used to be her son's pet fish. The film makes up for any narrative gaps though with some great ecological messages as per Miyazaki norm (human ocean pollution in this case) and the animation is simply exquisite, with blue fish and ocean waves magically blurring together at certain key points.

I've only seen 2 Studio Ghibli films so far but I think this is definitely one of the weirdest. I mean, the plot itself isn't that weird. It's kind of your typical Little Mermaid story except with 2 eight year old kids. However, the specifics are really odd. I won't say too much because I don't want to spoil anything but let's just say it can get a little awkward. I think Ponyo herself is the main reason this movie is so weird. She does and says a lot of things that seem really out of place for a fish/eight year old girl. Not to mention that her dad is even more ridiculous. The other characters for the most part are fine except for the boy's mom. She drives like a freaking maniac when she has kids in the car during a deadly storm! I won't say anything else but she does some other stupid stuff throughout the movie. I think out of all the characters the boy is my favorite because he plays off all the weirdness just like the audience. The animation itself is pretty good though not as good as Arrietty. The colors in Arrietty are more vibrant and blend better while Ponyo's animation is a bit more sketchy. However, it's still nice to see hand-drawn movies is the 2000's and the water looks downright breathtaking. Overall, despite this being really weird, it's a fun little movie to check out at least once.

If you aren't familiar with Hayao Miyazaki, he's like the Japanese Walt Disney. He and his studio, Studio Ghibli, are responsible for Spirited Away, Grave of Fireflies, Princess Mononoke and others. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (henceforth referred to as Ponyo) is one of their most recent films. I love Miyazaki movies, particularly how they animate water; Ponyo's defining characteristic is that it's about the sea so, naturally, it was on my to-watch list.Plot wise, Ponyo feels pretty thin. There is a fish that wants to become a little girl. Only through true love can this happen…and also only through true love can she save the world from being flooded.There isn't too much else to say about this one, quite honestly. The animation is beautiful, Ponyo (Nara) and Sôsuke (the little boy, voice by Hiroki Doi, who finds Ponyo) are adorable, and the music is great, and it has a happy ending.If you were unfamiliar with Miyazaki, I wouldn't recommend this as your introduction to his movies because of the odd plot. I'd start off with something like Spirited Away or Kiki's Delivery Service, and then after a little while, add Ponyo to your queue.I checked on the cast of voice actors for both the original Japanese cast and the American dub. Looking at the cast, you can tell this was definitely a big budget movie; Matt Damon (Kôichi), Betty White (Sôsuke grandmother), Tina Fey (Sôsuke's mom), and last but not least, the voice of the villain is Liam Neeson! We watched the original Japanese audio and it was great but, if you prefer dubs, I think Ponyo would be a good experience. Although, now that I'm thinking about it, Liam Neeson's voice is so distinct I wonder if it would break my suspension of disbelief.