Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
dzzthink
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 sourceTangyAbleOrange
The animation is great as ever when it comes to Studio Ghibli. The difference here is the story lacks the same charm and purpose as other Ghibli works. Not only that, the story is awful. It's like if the story started with a concept and then forwent developing it and instead went the opposite direction of anything meaningful and worthwhile. I didn't care about either of the protagonists, and the other characters were amazingly flat. I suppose I enjoyed some of the orchestral works, though the title song is obnoxious. This is obviously intended for a younger audience, though that didn't stop former family Ghibli films from instilling a sense of magical wonder even adults could connect with. Overall, it's skippable.
Read at the sourceAssthete
Ponyo is simply put Miyazaki at his finest. He can try his hardest to make muh serious content about environmentalism, but reality is he was born to please. Touching the hearts of kids and grown ups altogether is what he does best, and by embracing spectacle in the process he shone stronger than ever. From its first frame onward, Ponyo leaves the audience awestruck at its audiovisual presentation, evoking feelings from adults only children supposedly have. Through its beauty alone it reaches the depths of our brains in which lie memories of earnest discovery and unadulterated joy of living, thus, drowning the audience in a sea of delight. In essence this movie isn't so different from other Miyazaki projects. However, the effort towards its refinement envisioning to take away all pretense a…
Read at the sourcektulu007
Ponyo is a Studio Ghibli film from 2008. Like Nausicaa, it was written and directed by Miyazaki Hayao. Although, in this case, it's loosely based on the legend of the little mermaid rather than an entirely original work. Let's see how that turned out.
Our story opens underwater where undersea David Bowie is moving around in his magical submarine spawning jellyfish. Yes, I know that isn't his actual name, but he looks kind of like David Bowie, so that's what I'm going to call him. Anyway, one of his young fish daughters escapes the submarine and makes her way to the surface where she's found by a young boy named Sousuke. He decides to keep her in a bucket as a pet, but undersea David Bowie is not pleased and decides to rescue his daughter. But she decides that she'd rather live on the sur…
Read at the sourcejonathanlane
Miyazaki has been a favorite of mine for many years. If there is one artist I can say has never let me down, it is Miyazaki (well, him and Tolkien, so you see how highly I regard his work). Every one of his movies are amazing, from his epic masterpieces Princess Mononoke and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, to his more down to earth family affairs such as Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. So how does Ponyo stack up against the other films in Miyazaki's arsenal?
Well, not as well as I was hoping, though far from bad.
Ponyo is something different from Miyazaki, a kind of movie he hasn't really done since Kiki's Delivery Service. This is a movie aimed at children and children alone. It’s a big change from Howls Moving Castle which, though enjoyable for kids, was aimed as much towar…
Read at the sourceProfessorGinkgo
This movie was not exactly my favorite to watch, especially considering it was directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Ponyo had his artistic style, but my reaction was not at all similar to that of other works of his. I expected a story that had me thinking about anything ranging from questioning humanity or questioning what it means to love another. Ponyo's themes were more family-oriented, but it did not capture the same emotions and mindsets that previous Hayao Miyazaki films had.
Nonetheless, it's a good family film; but if you're a Hayao Miyazaki fan, it's not my favorite pick.
Read at the sourceMoudaijoubu
Ah, Ponyo. I remember watching the very early commercials for this movie. I absolutely couldn't wait for it to come out on DVD. I stopped by Walmart every day until I finally got my hands on yet another one of Hayao Miyazaki's films. My reaction after sitting through almost two hours of the film is a bit difficult to explain.
I do believe that any anime's quality is based really on characters. You can have a freakin' awful storyline, but the cast of characters can be so funny, original and entertaining that it doesn't even matter. I can't quite say that Ponyo's characters reached that level of ingenuity.
With that, we have our infamous Ponyo. One moment she's a goldfish, the next she's a human, with wild red hair, and yet, in the next moment, she's something strangely in-between the two…
Read at the source8thSin
'Gake no Ue no Ponyo' had been lying in my hard disk drive for over a year before I finally got to seeing it. I somehow knew I would not like this film, and have been putting it off until now. It could've been because this movie seemed so childish from clips I saw in variety shows, the obnoxious little girl singing its theme song, and the surprising amount of marketing campaign for an animated film. However, being somewhat of an anime fan, and an avid Japanese movie fan, this is a film that I had to watch. My hunches are wrong sometimes, but unfortunately, this was not the case... it was even worse than my low expectations. If you think this movie is a masterpiece and don't want to read any negativity about it, you might as well stop reading now. I will be analyzing a few key scenes from t…
Read at the sourceseekster
Let me preface by noting that I am a Miyazaki fan that consider Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke (in that order) the best animated films ever to come out of Japan (or possibly anywhere). Spirited Away in particular had it all, a good story, memorable music, incredible visuals, and likable characters that grew as the story progressed. I also saw Howl's Moving Castle and while I thought it was good it wasnt up to the same quality as Spirited Away or Mononoke (still maybe about the level of Kiki though).
Now I also admit that I saw the dubbed version of Ponyo featuring a cast of star voices alongside Miley Cyrus's youger sister and 1/3 of the Jonas brothers. As the rule goes, Disney makes everything worse but I still rate this a 6/10 because quite frankly the voice acting was passable an…
Read at the sourcealchemistchild
Hayao Miyazaki has proven again why he is the premier animator of our times. While Ponyo is not his best work compared to his previous films – not as brilliant as Spirited away, nor as homely as Totoro – as a standalone feature, it contains a lot of charm, humour, and heart. To top it off, the whole film is also completely hand drawn, which has become something of a dying art form in Western countries.
The film opens with a heart stopping montage to the ocean. This is where we meet a sort of undersea wizard and his fishlike daughters. The biggest of which is Ponyo, who runs away from their undersea home before getting trapped in a glass jar. The sequence even manages to contain an environmental message on water pollution, which is something of a directorial trademark.
Ponyo floats asho…
Read at the sourceace52387
The spectacle that is Ponyo is every bit as magnificent as any of Miyazaki`s works, or perhaps any animated work ever. There are memorable sequences abound, and in typical Miyazaki style, they may be notable as wildly imaginative or as heartwarmingly human. Anything in the underwater world would fall into the former category, while the affection between the two main characters is so lifelike that it may cause you to up and grab the nearest person and give him/her a nice squeeze. Ponyo is just about the sweetest thing that exists, and it`s not only because of the cute quasi-romance between the two 5 year-olds. From the borderline senile old ladies, to the tiny spat between Sosuke`s parents, to the way Ponyo`s father, the antagonist, swoons in the presence of her mother, it`s a sugar fest fr…
Read at the sourceScallion
Too Long, Didn't Read Version: Really, really pretty. Buy the Blu-Ray and some controlled substances made illegal under state, federal,and international law when it hits stores. This kicks the Little Mermaid's ass, Sebastion de Stereotype be damned, mon.
~~
When was the last time watching a movie left you feeling physically weak?
As the sing-a-long ending credits for Ponyo bubbled forth from the theatre speakers, I got up and started to ehad for the door...only to have my knees literally buckle underneath me. I felt light-headed, woozy, and couldn't maintain an erection for several days after. I'd suffered a diabetic coma by way of cuteness.
After manning the fuck up for a few weeks by burning my pubes with a blowtorch, (that I used to light a cigar wrapped with 100 dollar bills rolled by…
Read at the sourceNaiika
Hayao Miyazaki's work is and always will be outstanding. Although some may complain because Ponyo wasn't up to par with some of his more serious work, we do have to keep in mind that Ponyo is geared to small children. With this knowledge on hand, it's a heart warming movie that is meant to showcase the innocence and purity of a child's heart. At least that's what I gathered from it. I've seen the Japanese version and not the Disney dub. These are my own opinions after all, sorry if they disagree with anyone's. Enjoy!
Story:
The story itself is kind of like a loose interpretation of the little mermaid, sans evil octopus witch. There is no clear "villain" to the story, as with many of Miyazaki's other works. The closest thing I'd have to say is Ponyo's father, a sorcerer who believes human…
Read at the sourcerabbitpoets
Note: This review is based on a fansub and not the Disney dubbed version. Although I do want to check out the Disney dub, because Disney’s Ghibli adaptations are the rare movies where I think the voice dubs are really well done.
The story:
Ponyo is a simple love story at it’s heart. And I say "love" in its purest sense, because it’s not quite familial love, but it’s not quite romantic love as well. The relationship between the two kids is unique and full of life. If Sosuke is a bit disturbed by Ponyo’s fish roots, or her tendency to look like a chicken when she’s drawing upon her magical powers, he doesn’t let on at all. Conversely, Ponyo’s love is pure dedication as she literally transforms from a fish into a human and travels across the oceans to get back to Sosuke. The love story is cu…
Read at the sourceVenneh
TITLE: Ponyo (on the Cliff by the Sea)
ANIME: Ponyo is the eighth animated feature done by Studio Ghibli (well-known for other films such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke) and the tenth animated feature for Hayao Miyazaki as a director (well-known for his directorial work on My Neighbor Totoro and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind). Ponyo was released in Japanese theatres on July 19th, 2008, and won Best Anime of the Year at the Tokyo Anime Awards and the Japanese Academy Prize for Best Animation of the Year. It was released dubbed in Stateside theatres just this last weekend, on August 14th, 2009, and, as of the time of this writing, is already in the number 9 position for box office profits in its opening weekend.
STORY: A young five-year-old boy, Sosuke, finds an odd-looking fi…
Read at the sourceJTurner
It has been widely agreed that Hayao Miyazaki is a master at his craft when it comes to combining rich animation with thoughtful storylines and similarly imaginative characters. His movies, from Nausicaa, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, and Princess Mononoke to the recent Howl's Moving Castle are all not only gorgeously rendered in terms of art, but in terms of moviemaking as well. Can this man do no wrong? Not really, but it is impossible to expect everyone of his movies to always be five star marvels. His newest film, Ponyo, an unashamedly family-friendly tale of a "goldfish out of water", is as lushly animated and alive with interesting characters as you would expect... and yet this is the first film of his which treads into "lesser" territory. Don't get…
Read at the sourceTsumayouji
May I just start by saying that I am a big time Miyazaki fan. I loved Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (haven't as of yet seen his other ones). So, for someone who very much enjoys previous Miyazaki endeavors, Ponyo in a word is: disappointing. Yes, it's obviously for little kids (why Miyazaki couldn't make another family film that we could all enjoy is a bafflement to me), but even for children, it'd be boring.
~Story~
So a little fish girl endowed with magical powers wants to become human to stay with a little boy she meets named Sosuke - a tale loosely based on the original telling of The Little Mermaid (there's even a reference to turning into sea foam). Seems straightforward, yes? Well, for the most part it is...e…
Read at the sourcedbaranyi
I usually don't care for stories that have pre-school protagonists, but Hayao Miyazaki easily made me forget that as he wove his magic once again in "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea". This is a beautifully simple story that wonderfully demonstrates all of Miyazaki's strengths as a director and writer. It also demonstrates some of Miyazaki's weaknesses as a director and writer, but those only add to the overwhelming charm of the movie.
What we have here is a thoroughly modern movie that at the same time captures all the timelessness of great story telling. Ponyo is a dauntless heroine and Sousuke is her perfect knight. Never-the-less, the screen is stolen every time Ponyo's father Fujimoto or Sousuke's mother Risa are on the screen.
But the real "heros" of the movie are the animation and t…
Read at the sourcekawaiisammy
Very adorable movie. This is possibly one of the cutest animes I have seen in a while.
Story - The story definetly wasn't what made this a good movie. While it was a good story, I felt that it went by too slow. That and the fact the subs that were released obviously weren't made by someone fluent with the english language. I guess it's kind of soon to be jumping into rating the story as the real english version might make it a little more tolerable.
Other than that, this is definitely a children's movie, thus the story wasn't too deep. Think Totoro with a tad bit more plot.
Art - I was absolutely amazed by the art. As usual for a Miyazaki film, the art made the movie really enjoyable, despite the lack of a real story. I got the feel of an older disney movie while watching it and that mad…
Read at the sourcearanelcharis
3 words describe this movie: Death By Cuteness [Note: This review is based off of the Japanese version, not the Disney dubbed one!]
If you thought Totoro was cute, you ain't seen nothing yet. Ponyo is the cutest little...fish-girl ever. The movie is loosely based on "The Little Mermaid," but don't think Disney. Think instead of when you were a kid, and the world was brighter, magical, full of wonder and delight. Those are the feelings which describe what happens when you enter the world of Miyazaki.
Story - Although there's more story to Ponyo than your average Miyazaki film (eg: Totoro again), the film is geared more to a younger audience, and therefore has simply a slow progression of events which unfold for the main character Sousuke, who saves what he calls a "goldfish" from the ocea…
Read at the source