Studio Ghibli's Most Joyous Film

Review: Ponyo (2008)

By Claire Lustig

Ponyo, which I believe is Hayao Miyazaki’s ninth feature film with Studio Ghibli, is by far the most joyous film by the studio. Sosuke, a five year old boy, comes upon what he believes is a goldfish, whom he names Ponyo after she miraculously heals his cut. From there on, the two do anything they can to stay together despite forces working against them and they form a heartwarming friendship. Watching this felt like a breeze. It was no challenge at all to get invested in the characters or the world that Miyazaki skillfully created. Every character is sympathetic in this, and by the end it was easy to understand all of their motivations. I was expecting Fujimoto to turn out to be a villain similar to Yubaba in Spirited Away or even The Witch of the Waste in Howl’s Moving Castle and I was pleasantly surprised when it didn’t go in that direction. Another great thing about Ponyo is the animation. The colors are probably the most vibrant that Studio Ghibli has ever been and the water looks amazing. The best shots are of Granmamare, a goddess, who looks nothing short of ethereal (I would describe it in more detail but I feel like words don’t do her justice). For better or for worse, Ponyo was an incredibly easy watch. It’s the perfect film for if you’re having a bad day or are otherwise occupied, but with that comes the lack of a deeper message that I’m accustomed to seeing in a Studio Ghibli film. Sara mentioned in discussion that she thought that the movie was going to have commentary on the environment and that this disappeared in the second half,and that this made Ponyo seem like two different movies, and she was completely right. It almost feels like Miyazaki changed his mind midway through the movie without adjusting the first half with the commentary to match it, which leads the film to lack coherency. Personally I thought that the second half was better in just about every way so I think that changing the first half to be more like the second half would have been better. Overall, this was a fun and fulfilling watch and I feel like I speak for everyone when I say that I would definitely watch this again.