Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
jay_quelin
What a very confusing movie. It took them 50 minutes just to establish the introduction. Then by the second half, it turned into your typical Little Mermaid plotline. Only this time, we're supposed to be shipping two 5-year olds. There's this whole convoluted premise about Ponyo having these magical powers. Her father doesn't want her to go to the human world for "reasons," "he's a wizard who can control the ocean for "reasons," and Ponyo can switch between fish and human for "reasons" that were never explained. It's basically Little Mermaid from the perspective of two toddlers. The pacing was unbearably slow because of how uninteresting Ponyo and Sosuke's relationship was. The animation and dialogue felt like it was just doing whatever. Also, you wouldn't understand the whole "Devonian" t…
Read at the sourceJxbinha
Score: 9/10
Ponyo is simply an explosion of cuteness. It may not have the most complex story in Studio Ghibli's catalog, but I don't think that was ever the intention. This is a movie that feels meant to be experienced rather than analyzed.
The relationship between Ponyo and Sousuke is innocent, pure, and incredibly adorable. Everything follows that magical childhood logic where a fish can want to become human, the ocean can swallow entire cities, and somehow you just accept it because you're too busy thinking everything is beautiful.
The animation is also wonderful. The ocean feels like it has a personality of its own, and every scene is full of movement and life, making the movie feel even more magical.
Is it simple? Yes. Is it childish? Also yes. But sometimes all we need is a beautiful…
Read at the sourceDippyDipster
CLASSIC movie! I remember watching it as a kid, and it honestly never gets old. Ghibli is just a master of making cute characters going on magical adventures, and this one had always been my favorite from the studio. It's a movie anyone of any age can enjoy, anime watcher or not. I will admit the plot itself was confusing to me as a kid, and even as an adult I think it could have been written better- but overall it's still an enjoyable watching experience <3
The aesthetic of the film is so beautiful, the fish and water animations are peak as always. The characters are all loveable and lively, albeit very simple.
Read at the sourcek-0da
Thankfully for the little me who saw this at six, Ponyo is just as good as I remember it.
It’s Ghibli, so you don’t need to hear it from me that this movie looks spectacular. While there are some people out there who admonish Ghibli aesthetics, I am no contrarian, and thought the movie was gorgeous. I had the wonderful opportunity to see it in HD thanks to GKID’s Summer of Ghibli, which was just a jaw-dropping experience. My favorite scenes visually were always the ones with Granmamare. When her golden, rainbow magic fills the dark, navy sea--takes my breath away. Ghibli’s worlds are always magical, and Ponyo’s are no different.
The plot of Ponyo is perfectly acceptable. It’s a wildly different, brighter retelling of the original story. Sosuke and Ponyo are perfectly fine as protagonist…
Read at the sourceRyuzaki775
I have always loved the openings of Hayao Miyazaki’s works, which enchant the eyes, astonish the mind, and delight the ears, drawing you in intensely and becoming a strong reason to continue watching them. You can take Ponyo as an example; whose story is fundamentally based on the bond that connects the ocean and humans, as is clearly seen in the introduction where the beauty of the blue color dominates, along with the splendid colors of its creatures even in the darkness of the ocean depths. You can also observe the astonishing mastery in depicting life within it and the amount of interaction created in the very first scene.
Amid that captivating beauty comes the first light of the story in a mixture of fantasy and mystery, as we saw in that strange man with pale features and flamboyant…
Read at the sourceAnime_Enjoyer_69
This movie is a bit of a departure from Ghibli's traditional style. Not at face value, but you'll notice a lot of the backgrounds look like they are made with colored pencil and watercolors. Why? Well I personally think they went with this style to reflect the imagination of a young child. This movie has a lot of fantastical moments that make zero sense but characters either brush them off or ignore them like nothing happened, much like the way a child's wild imagination would rationalize a fantasy.
This is easily one of studio Ghibli's prettiest movies. The water and fish all flow really well. I can't think of a more suitable word for it than that. Everything just flows and gushes and bounces around the screen in a fun and whimsical manner. I won't lie though, this movie is pretty weird.…
Read at the sourcemaya_kotori
This was part of my little return to Studio Ghibli last year, so of course I had to give it a proper review, hehe. I adore Ghibli films, so I naturally expected something great, even though, to be honest, the poster and the description didn’t impress me at first. They felt a bit too simple, almost childish, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. But once I actually watched it, everything changed. The movie turned out to be incredibly cute, charming, and visually stunning. It has that magical Ghibli softness, the kind of atmosphere that makes you feel safe, warm, and a little nostalgic. The characters are adorable, the story is sweet, and the whole film feels like a fairytale brought to life.
And the scenery… oh my god, the scenery. That’s one thing I will never stop loving about Ghibli movies.…
Read at the sourceelumizu
Ponyo is a vibrant fantasy adventure that reimagines the classic fairy tale of a creature from the sea discovering the human world. The story follows Sōsuke, a kind-hearted five-year-old boy who lives in a seaside town with his mother. One day he finds a small goldfish trapped in a jar along the shore and rescues her, naming her Ponyo. Unknown to him, Ponyo is no ordinary fish. She is the daughter of a powerful sea sorcerer and the sea goddess Granmamare. Fascinated by the warmth and kindness she experiences with Sōsuke, Ponyo decides that she wants to become human. As Ponyo’s transformation begins, her growing magical abilities unintentionally disrupt the balance of the natural world. The ocean rises, ancient sea creatures reappear, and a massive storm begins to engulf the coastal town. W…
Read at the sourcecarolioco
An adorable movie filled with lovely, wholesome moments that brought a smile to my face multiple times to the point where I felt like I was experiencing cuteness aggression towards the main two characters and just wanted to squish their faces. Even though it's a children's movie, I definitely think there's enjoyment waiting for older viewers as well. Besides, it brings amazing music and beautiful visuals as always, leaving an unforgettable impression of the underwater world.
The plot is very simple, but in my eyes, the expression of the theme of friendship and innocence is absolutely magical and that's where the purpose of this movie lies. The bonding between Sosuke and Ponyo was just too adorable to watch. However, while the film focused on two five year old children, I must say, the wa…
Read at the source50Fiftillididee
✒🌊Love & The Sea 🐠 This Tide Lifts All Moods💦 °9.1° °Outstanding° 💯%🔍 some minor spoilers
Sosuke is 5 years old. He's very smart. His dad works on a fishing boat, so he's always out. His mom keeps the home and works at a senior care center. (“I think the lights came on because Sosuke is here🌞.” Sosuke's interactions with the elderly residents is precious. He is the light in their lives). Sosuke sees a fish in distress one day and saves it. He takes it home. Sosuke doesn't know it, but he's adopted a magical sea creature, Btunhilde. He names her Ponyo.
The opening should pull viewers right in. The animation is typical for Studio Ghilbi - it's gorgeous.
Not only is it lustrous and unique with its pale flat tones, but it makes viewers feel like we're swimming with the jellyfish. The…
Read at the sourcedzzthink
It's quite confusing and altogether unsatisfying. Its premise seems really interesting and provides a view into a brother-sister dynamic during a flooding event, but the fact that Miyazaki doesn't usually rely on thought-out scripts and mostly on storyboards really led to the downfall of this movie as it resulted in a boring middle section and really bland ending. This problem is usually not so bad in many Ghibli movies as it is offset by actually interesting characters and plot but there just wasn't enough going for this movie to actually make it interesting. Animation is still really great, which apparently was mostly hand-drawn, making the sea really beautiful, and is what sort of redeems the movie.
Read at the sourceGlowingJelly
I must have watched this movie over 20 times with my family over the course of 15 years. Its world is full of magic, with creatures of incredible colors and shapes. It fills you with intrigue and curiosity about all the life that inhabits our planet and remains unknown to us, making you hope it’s as beautiful and magical as the ones in this marvelous fantasy world. The plot is captivating, and the situations that unfold at times leave you speechless, gripping the edge of your seat with nerves, or smiling from ear to ear with happiness. The characters are charismatic and endearing, and to top it all off, it has an incredible soundtrack with an ending song that I still remember word for word to this day. Without a doubt, it’s a masterpiece and deserves a 10/10.
I can recommend it to anyone,…
Read at the sourcebergars
You know? Maybe I can like Hayao Miyazaki movies.
“Ponyo” wasn't the regurgitated formula of “the world is the story” that so many others sell me when talking about his movies. All I needed was a proper main character to experience this world while having a story of his own. Both intersect, and both feed into each other, but it isn't just a one-sided fight.
It felt like the world, and the characters were dancing together with a beautifully slow song. A ballet of calmness, where even in the strings of intense moments, there wasn't ever a feeling that there were no stakes. The world is crumbling, but from the perspective of characters that don't particularly suffer from it.
The innocence in such a cataclysmic event filled my heart every time I saw those relaxing moments, juxtaposed with…
Read at the sourcecoolman6446
I watched the dub as a kid, and now watching it again with subs during my Ghibli binge, I'd recommend watching it. Really I'd say this is just a 6 "fine" film due to the plot in the second half feeling a bit lacking in plot (probably due to not having a strong antagonist/threat). However, the color pencil and watercolor paint settings give this film an extra point for me since it blew the other Ghibli films I've seen so far out of the water with this distinct and beautiful style. Still love the art in the other films, but this one definitely stands out from the rest. The plot is alright, but like I mentioned earlier I personally felt like it loses steam after the halfway point. It also has the classic Ghibli film trait of just immediately ending without an epilogue, but the ending climax i…
Read at the sourceMartinezchris
I love this movie. I don’t care what anyone else says it is so frickn cute. I believe this is the first anime movie I have ever seen and I watched it when I was little so it definitely has a special place in my heart. Besides that, this movie is very well done with incredible animation, plot, and concept. This movie is tame to enjoy with young children, but still adorable and interesting enough to enjoy for all ages. I would even say one of my favorite things about this movie is how it takes you back into your childhood imagination and in a way relive it. The best way to describe this anime is adorable.
Read at the sourceBadGuyBoog
This is the best straight-up kids movie of all time. It really just embodies the joy and innocence of being a kid.
The art style is bubbly and brilliant (and extremely well animated). The colors are simple, bright and beautiful. The world is wonderous, imaginative, charming and colorful. The music is soaring and whimsical (average Hisashi W). This is the most adorable movie I've ever seen. The characters are so much fun to watch and are great role models for kids, without being unrealistic. It's narratively and thematically simple, but it works in this movies favor because of the intended demographic.
It's fun, cute, and I was smiling and laughing the entire time. This is not a movie you just play to distract your kids while you work, this is a movie to sit down and watch with them. Anothe…
Read at the sourceEnchanted_weeb
what a wholesome movie. I am going through something and this movie made my day. I am in love with the characters and the story. I LOVE Sosuke and he is such a cinnamon role. If I ever were to have a son, I'd raise him to be as gentle and caring as Sosuke.
overall it's a good movie especially when you need a break or escape from reality. this movie leaves you with fluffiness in your heart. it has become my comfort movie now. the soundtracks, animation, the clumsy movements of kids, everything is just perfect.
The story is definitely unique. it's like a magical world where we would be introduced to all the great characters. Ghibli movies never disappoints. Anime artstyle is just chef kiss. i really love how they were able to incorporate small detaails like ponyo's clumsy movemnets etc. All…
Read at the sourceG_Camporez
Ponyo, well, what can I say? It's just another incredible Studio Ghibli story, brilliantly animated as always in any of their works. The characters are amazing, intricately crafted, including this "childhood romance" – if I can call it that, really. But, I remember when I was younger, like 6 or 7 years old (not that I'm very old, I'm just 19 haha), liking someone as much as Sousuke likes Ponyo. And it's nothing impure, it's a genuine passion without any ulterior motives, just a feeling of really liking someone and wanting to have lots of fun with them. I felt that way again while watching Ponyo, that's why I really urge you to watch it too.
Read at the sourceprotas
The cutest, sweetest, most heart-warming version of the little mermaid. This little love story between two kids is more well-animated, better written, and more filled with soul than literally every other love story. A wondrous adventure full of great, believable characters and genuinely heart-warming moments that also has a great environmental message.
Apparently, when Hayao Miyazaki finished the production of Howl's Moving Castle, he was left feeling a little bummed because of the use of computer 2D animation for the castle itself, which was virtually impossible to animate by hand. that's when he decided he was going to create Ponyo: a movie that isn't only stylistically different from his other films, but also drawn completely by hand, with no help of digital animation. The technical ch…
Read at the sourcePaulDanger
After rewatching this film after several years I find that Ponyo has a much deeper since of depths and nuance than what I originally picked up on as a child. The visuals still are very striking and unique. The musical score is rather engrossing and help to set the various moods\emotions that the film were trying to portray. The overall primus was rather straight forward in a way that made it very clear this enactment knew the exact story that it wanted to tell. It is because of this that I believe that while the story has a few underlying nuances it never gets to the point that it hinders the story’s advancement but rather enhances the films overall viewing experience.
This film is certainly something that can be enjoyed by younger audiences as well as older viewers that are looking for…
Read at the source
