One of the anime master's weaker efforts.
Ponyo (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:29
Fresh:25
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7.5/10
Consensus: While not Miyazaki's best film, Ponyo is a visually stunning fairy tale that's a sweetly poetic treat for children of all ages.
Theatrical Release:Aug 14, 2009 Wide
Box Office: $14,816,643
Synopsis: From the Academy Award®-winning director and world-renowned Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki comes PONYO, a story inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale “The Little Mermaid.” ... From the Academy Award®-winning director and world-renowned Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki comes PONYO, 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 (voiced by NOAH CYRUS) and her quest to become human features an outstanding roster of voice talent, including CATE BLANCHETT, MATT DAMON, TINA FEY, CLORIS LEACHMAN, LIAM NEESON, LILY TOMLIN, BETTY WHITE and FRANKIE JONAS as Sosuke, a young boy who befriends Ponyo. --© Walt Disney Pictures [More]
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus, Matt Damon, Tina Fey
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Frankie Jonas, Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin, Betty White
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Screenwriter: Hayao Miyazaki
Producer: Toshio Suzuki, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Steve Alpert
Composer: Joe Hisaishi
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Reviews for Ponyo
Ponyo hasn't changed my mind about Miyazaki. But I'm willing to accept and enjoy this little window into the dream life of fish.
I liked that it wasn’t bound by the conventions of normal storytelling and I loved seeing a film that is just hand drawn animation.
This exquisite pastel-colored, eye-popping example of hand-drawn animation is still very Japanese, aimed most specifically at children around the world -- but with a storytelling sophistication that adults will savor.
Miyazaki's artwork can be lovely -- and the delicate, watery colors of Ponyo are particularly well done -- but he's still a slave to the genre's peculiar traditions.
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, that make up the enchanted vision of Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki.
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.
It's very much a charming kids' film, created by a master of animation.
The 68-year-old filmmaker shows that he's at the peak of his skills, both as a visual artist and a storyteller.
A bright tale of wonder and connection, Ponyo is a reminder that a G rating needn't be a "little kid" designation.
When you see Ponyo -- and you must -- be prepared for a movie that doesn't abide by Hollywood rules. This is a tale for children (yes, of all ages) who are ready to be coaxed into another world through simple words and luscious pictures.
It's a wonderful place that Miyazaki creates, an alternatively sweet and savage world that defies physics and common sense, as imaginative and impossible in its own way as Jules Verne's sci-fi fantasies or Maurice Sendak's animal kingdom.
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.
Ponyo isn't Hayao Miyazaki's greatest film, but his beautiful, quirky fable has magic other children's movies can't touch.
When the ocean rises in this wonderful movie, each leaping wave stares out at us with a baleful eye as if in watchful and worried wait.
With its ever-shifting world and palpable sense of magic, Ponyo captures the wonder of being a child.
Ponyo possesses an almost demonic childish energy and a delight in form stronger than reason or narrative.
Latest News for Ponyo
August 16, 2009:
Win Preview Tickets to Miyazaki's Ponyo in Sydney
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August 13, 2009:
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August 13, 2009:
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With summer almost out of gas, studios toss five more contenders into the ring in hopes of catching moviegoers that just haven't had their share of multiplex entertainment yet.... More...
August 13, 2009:
Total Recall: Hayao Miyazaki's Best Movies
Hayao Miyazaki's last three films (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle) platformed in America to mild success. For his 10th and latest movie, Ponyo (the... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 83% 83% | The Princess and the Frog | 12/11 |
| 86% 86% | A Single Man | 12/11 |
| 53% 53% | The Lovely Bones | 12/11 |
| 86% 86% | Invictus | 12/11 |
| | Avatar | 12/18 |
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