According to the front of the box, Ponyo is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. Thankfully, this is a loose interpretation; the original tale is bitterly tragic almost throughout. Ponyo is the mirror opposite of that. While there are nods to Andersen's original fable, Ponyo doesn't contain a shred of menace. In classic Miyazaki fashion, those who appear to be villains turn out to be anything but. You won't fear for any of the characters, but that doesn't make you care any less about them.
Ponyo opens with a five-minute underwater sequence that gently acquaints viewers with the benevolent magic that is practiced underneath the surface. There's no dialogue; Joe Hisaishi's beautiful score is the only aural cue necessary to instill a sense of overpowering wonder. The attention to detail in each and every cel is absolutely mind-blowing. It's one of the best opening sequences I've seen in an animated film; for me, it is second only to the one in Pixar's Up. Perhaps that's not fair; where Up's "Married Life" montage fires on just about every possible emotional cylinder, Ponyo's "Ocean Wonderland" scene almost feels like a sensory experience. Of course, once we see a young goldfish hitch a ride on a surface-bound jellyfish, the story swings into full gear.
In the world of Ponyo, the natural world is kept in balance by Fujimoto (Liam Neeson), a sorcerer who develops potions that right the wrongs that have been done to the sea by mankind. However, when his young daughter Brunhilde (the goldfish from the first scene) escapes his custody and ventures to the surface, she sets in motion a chain of events that ultimately upset the natural order. She becomes trapped in a glass jar, and things look grim. Fortunately, she catches the eye of Sosuke (Frankie Jonas), a young boy who lives in a peaceful port town with his mother Lisa (Tina Fey). Sosuke smashes the jar, cutting himself in the process. When the nearly-unconscious fish rewards Sosuke with a lick on his bleeding finger, she heals the cut and also gains the ability to transform into a little girl. Sosuke names the little fish Ponyo. Unfortunately, Ponyo's actions have far-reaching ecological repercussions. In the end, two decisions must be made. Ponyo must give up magic in order to lead a completely human existence, and Sosuke must accept Ponyo for what she really is. For reasons that are widely unexplained, only these two conditions can restore the balance of nature. Of course, there's a lot of intervention from Fujimoto, and eventually we get to see Ponyo's mother Granmammere (Cate Blanchett) in a scene that is so brilliantly executed that words cannot do it justice.
There are several little subplots under the surface of this enchanting little movie, and they fit right in with the rest of the story. The most memorable of these subplots involves Lisa's workplace: the senior center next door to Sosuke's nursery school. We are introduced to three elderly women: the kind-hearted Yoshie (Betty White), the wistful Noriko (Cloris Leachman), and the cynical Toki (Lily Tomlin). The banter that goes on between the women and Sosuke is charming and, well, human. One scene towards the end will have you cheering for them.
As you can probably tell, the star power behind the English dubbing is considerable, to say the least. The two main roles were cast with the subtlety of an anvil with a giant Disney Channel "D" on it. Frankie Jonas is a good Sosuke, but I'm not so sure Noah Cyrus was the right choice for Ponyo. If a character is written as a seemingly-overcaffeinated youngster, it's mandatory that the voice actor/actress has a voice that will endear the character to the audience. Maybe I'm a total jerk for finding fault with a child's performance, but I simply don't like wincing at lines that are delivered Barney & Friends style.
On the plus side, Tina Fey and Liam Neeson deliver knockout performances. When Sosuke speaks some comforting words to Lisa after her fisherman husband Koichi (Matt Damon) is forced to postpone his return home, Lisa's reaction speaks volumes about what kind of mother she really is. And when Fujimoto pours his heart out to Granmammere after his daughter escapes him a second time, you come to understand the scale and scope of his duties.
The lowest point of the voicework ties into the localization effort: the theme song used for the credits has been, for lack of a better word, butchered. It tries to be as adorable and charming as the Japanese theme, which, in my honest opinion, is annoying enough. Listening to the English theme song is a horrendous experience. The worst part is, once you think it's about to end, it switches gears and becomes absolutely unbearable. It drove me out of the theater when I saw it last year... and I never walk out during the credits.
Ponyo has a decent selection of special features, but the disc isn't as loaded as, say, The Dark Knight or Star Trek. I'm being unfair again, I know. What makes the special features work isn't the quantity -- it's the quality. This is Studio freaking Ghibli, for crying out loud. Most of it is really solid stuff. I personally loved the "World of Ghibli" segments. Hearing from Hayao Miyazaki and Joe Hisaishi really gives you get the sense that you're listening to true genius. Not all of the special features are that great, though. There's a conversation between Miyazaki-san and Pixar's John Lasseter that amounts to nothing more than some serious butt-kissing (on Lasseter's part). Sure, it's well-merited, but I was hoping the conversation would actually go somewhere.
My review copy of Ponyo is a two-in-one package containing two copies of the film: one Blu-ray and one DVD. I'm not sure I see the use in having multiple formats in one release, apart from the fact that there are more people who own DVD players than there are people who have Blu-ray players. Naturally, the Blu-ray is the superior disc. In this package, it's the only one that contains any special features apart from the "Meet Ponyo" introduction. However, I'm quite sure the two-disc DVD release isn't missing anything. Put simply, I can't find a single thing wrong with the Blu-ray disc. The audio/visual quality is perfect.
Ponyo is the cinematic equivalent of the feeling one would likely achieve by injecting 50 ccs of liquid cotton candy into the brain. It makes an incredibly strong case for hand-drawn animation while delivering a story that will charm adults and children alike. Even if you're not the type who buys films, Ponyo is at the very least a must-see.
