As a long-time fan of Studio Ghibli and especially Hayao Miyazaki films, I went to the film right on the opening day. When I went out of the theater I had this strange feeling that something was missing, this "magical" feeling I was experiencing in all Miyazaki films before, but I couldn't say why it failed this time. After I thought about the other Ghibli movies, I may know the reason: this film had most of the elements of a great Miyazaki anime: cute characters, wonderful key animation, a great soundtrack composed by Joe Hisaishi and the warm story telling giving you the feeling of watching a high quality Japanese animation film. However, two elements were lacking: a deep story and dramaturgy. The purpose of this film was obviously to entertain small children with a simple story line as in case of "Totoro", so a complicated story as been told in "Spirited Away" or "Princess Mononoke" is not really necessary, but on the other hand, this story was simply too superficial. I could not connect to the main characters, because there was no character development, dramatic scenes were only limited and did not last very long. I really hate to give only 7 stars for a Miyazaki film, because I would give 10 stars to all previous movies right away, but this time it was simply not this wonderful "ghibli experience".

Well, what can I say? I absolutely adored PONYO, Studio Ghibli's answer to THE LITTLE MERMAID, which takes the Disney cartoon and bypasses it in every way imaginable. This is a tremendously entertaining children's film made with real heart and imagination. Although there's an environmental message, it isn't shoved down the viewer's throat (like in PRINCESS MONONOKE) and despite copious sentimentality this is never saccharine sweet or sickening; it's just a really good film.

The story is simple, straightforward and works all the better for being so: it's the tale of a goldfish called Ponyo who yearns to be human, and the young boy living on the coast who befriends her. Although there are journeys into a fantastic undersea kingdom, much of the film is set in the real world, where the human characters have to deal with the very real threats of tsunamis and the like.

The animation is stunning, the characters are lovely and the story as a whole has a warm fuzzy glow to it. Yes, this is a kid's film through and through, but it's one I watched and loved as an adult. PONYO is my second favourite Ghibli movie, just behind GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES.