Review of Ponyo (2008) by Tonyo — 29 Sep 2009

Pretty good - but do be aware Ponyo is aimed at a somewhat younger audience than previous Miyazaki opuses. I would say it is aimed at 7-8 year olds, where as Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle were probably more suitable for 12-15 year olds.

But, as might be expected from this stellar animation genius, some of the sequences are still absolutely magical in the atmosphere they invoke. The storm sequence where Ponyo rides the waves, and the underwater sequences generally are as good as anything you will see.

And the supporting characters in the old folk's home are beautifully realised, and there is a lot of emotional resonance and family sentiment. But it is nevertheless pretty slow, with a simple story, and it is primarily designed to be cute and engaging for little kids.

So all credit to Miyazaki, who hasn't fallen into the Pixar/Dreamworks/Disney trap of continually ramping up the scale and graphics and humour to capture every demographic and maximise the financial returns.

Definitely worth seeing, but a gentle delight, rather than a blockbuster. Little kids will still be loving this movie in 50 years, long after most of the contemprary cartoons have faded away.