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Ponyo
EMAILPRINTWalt Disney Pictures
Universal acclaim
Based on 29 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 63 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Adventure | Animation | Family/Kids | Fantasy
Written by:
Hayao Miyazaki
Melissa Mathison
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Release Date:
Theatrical: August 14, 2009
Running Time: 100 minutes, Color
Origin: Japan
Summary
RATING: G for General Audiences
Starring Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Frankie Jonas, Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, Betty White, and Betty White
Ponyo is a story inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Little Mermaid." Already a box-office success in Japan, the story of a young and overeager goldfish named Ponyo and her quest to become human features an outstanding roster of voice talent. (Walt Disney Pictures)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
Don't tell Walt Disney, but Hayao Miyazaki really holds the keys to the magic kingdom.
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
Best of all, Ponyo never ceases to be a genuine odyssey in short pants.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson
It’s essentially a stroll through a fantastically detailed pastel world, in which the plot is little more than an excuse for Miyazaki to dive into a world teeming with colorful (and sometimes prehistoric) life.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
There is a word to describe Ponyo, and that word is magical. This poetic, visually breathtaking work by the greatest of all animators has such deep charm that adults and children will both be touched.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Deborah Young
It is a work of great fantasy and charm that will delight children ages 3 to 100.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
You'll be planning to see Ponyo twice before you've finished seeing it once. Five minutes into this magical film you'll be making lists of the individuals of every age you can expose to the very special mixture of fantasy and folklore, adventure and affection.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Manohla Dargis
The latest masterwork from Hayao Miyazaki, places emphasis on the natural world, its tumults and fragility.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub
One of Miyazaki's most kid-accessible movies, but still an unnerving film.
Read Full Review >Variety Ronnie Scheib
Though targeted at tots, Ponyo may appeal most to jaded adults thirsty for wondrous beauty and unpackaged innocence
Read Full Review >Washington Post Dan Kois
Ponyo isn't Hayao Miyazaki's greatest film -- that would be a tall order in a 30-year feature career that includes the Oscar-winning "Spirited Away" -- but his beautiful, quirky fable has magic other children's movies can't touch.
Read Full Review >Wall Street Journal Joanne Kaufman
If the plot of Ponyo is small as a minnow, its themes--the relationship between parent and child, between the young and the elderly, between friends, between man and nature--are large and fully realized.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Mark Fulton
Imagination spills across the screen in a bold, undeniable presence.
Read Full Review >USA Today Claudia Puig
Miyazaki creates fascinating, fluid and whimsical scenarios.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
You watch a Miyazaki film with the pie-eyed, gape-mouthed awe of a child being read the most fantastic story and suddenly transported to places previously beyond the limits of imagination. It's quite a trip.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
This environmentally themed, very loose version of Hans Christian Andersen's "Little Mermaid" is never going to be mistaken for Disney's musical of the same name.
Read Full Review >New York Magazine David Edelstein
Liam Neeson has gravely splendid pipes as Ponyo’s father, a once-human wizard who lives underwater and despises humankind for polluting the planet.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Scott Foundas
It's a movie for anyone who, like Miyazaki himself, can still happily commune with his inner five-year-old.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
Ponyo is another conceptually and thrilingly original masterstroke from an animator who long ago left Walt Disney in the dust.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
My sense is that adults will be more taken with Ponyo than their offspring.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
Even by Miyazaki standards, Ponyo makes less narrative sense than it should, and the pat ending is a bit of a letdown.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Alan Niester
In short, it's very much a charming kids' film, created by a master of animation.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall
Compared to "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Kiki's Delivery Service," this is one of the anime master's weaker efforts.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek
His (Miyazaki) stories, and often his character design, just leave me cold. I know I'm supposed to be magically transported by his fanciful tales and his whimsical grandiosity, but they make me listless.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 7.6 (out of 10) based on 63 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Joey C gave it a10:
My brother and I (him 19 and me 22) went to see this one together. Beautiful film, perfect in every way. We laughed through the whole thing. The theatre erupted with the giggles of children every time Ponyo did something silly. Had serious moments as well, I even cried. Not sure why anyone would rate this film low. An instant classic and masterpiece.
Brian C gave it a7:
Not quite as good as Totoro, but if you and your kids are fans of Miyazaki it's worth seeing.
Ken Z gave it a4:
I've really enjoyed all of Miyazaki's previous films, but this left me pretty disappointed. The animation was subpar compared to any of his other films and the story is quite frankly makes no sense. Done right, the line between reality and fantasy is blurred until you have forgotten there was anything but the fantasy, but in Ponyo they chose never to address reality at all.
Jason B gave it a9:
The most beautiful, lyrical, and humorous passages of Ponyo occur when Ponyo is discovering the human world, and when Ponyo and Sosuke travel to look for Sosuke’s mother. Sosuke maintains his bond to protect Ponyo even when his own life appears to be falling apart. He is a wise, perceptible and mature child, which is dutifully acknowledged by his mother. The love between Sosuke and Ponyo is pure and innocent. The first words we hear Ponyo say are “Ponyo loves Sosuke!”
Nick T gave it a10:
A simple narrative, simply told, leaving room for you to enjoy the many wonderful moments. I thought it was very much like Totoro in that regard and Ponyo has easily become one of my favourite Ghibli films, along with Totoro and Spirited Away.
Tom P gave it a10:
Superb animation, beautiful art, touching emotional dimension, environmental message without sour bludgeoning like WALL-E. For all ages.
Kelly M gave it a1:
I waited for a moment where I might feel some sort of emotion for at least one character in the film. I waited and waited. I then waited a little longer. I sat in the theater watching the credits roll to some of the worst music I have ever heard. When it was over all I can say is "I waited." If you enjoy waiting by all means go see it. If you would like to be more productive with your time I suggest painting a room in your house and wait for the paint to dry. It is equally entertaining.
