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REVIEW: Ponyo

It's light as a feather, with little to no real meaning or subtext – the wizard's generic dislike of humanity doesn't fuel the main conflict (which is hardly much of a conflict at all, really) and is more of a side note than a real theme within the film.

First off, I should mention I'm a bit relieved that the plot seems to be pretty much intact in the English dub (I admit to some worries about the promised changes).

I saw this film in Korea (in Japanese), and must respectfully disagree with Zac's main thesis.

The second part of the quote is true; the conflict between Fujimoto and humanity is not the central conflict of the movie. No, the central conflict is that between Ponyo and her father, and the central theme of the film is family. Ponyo idolizes her mother and detests her father, while Sosuke's father is mostly absent; these family conflicts drive the story and provide a gentle yet very sincere examination of the meaning and the purpose of the strange connections between parents and children. (Both Ponyo's and Sosuke's fathers can be seen as avatars for Miyazaki himself, who has said that he feels guilty for being always at work and usually absent during his children's youth.)

Indeed water is the heart and soul of the film, and is used to evoke a renewed wonder at the mystery of the world (I think that this is the most important function of animation). Ponyo posits that all water is magic: for me the most sorcerous scene in the movie was the one in which Lisa makes instant noodles for Ponyo and Sosuke. The children see the cups of hard, crunchy noodles (Ponyo can't resist munching on a piece and making a face) and watch as Lisa pours in the boiling water and covers the bowls. They wait in an agony of anticipation as the minutes tick by, and then the magic is revealed---the water has transformed the unpalatable blocks of food into a delicious, hot, chewy feast! With expressions of absolute wonderment at this miracle, they begin to eat: thus Ponyo reminds us how mystical the world is through the eyes of a child, a subtext I think is eminently worthy of praise (although perhaps Zac would disagree).

There is nothing whatsoever trite or shallow about Ponyo, and it can be thoroughly enjoyed by both children and adults, so long as they value family and wish for a reminder that despite the mundanity of our high-tech existences, even the simplest and smallest elements of our reality are infused with a captivating magic to which we would do well to attend.

Both Ponyo's and Sosuke's fathers can be seen as avatars for Miyazaki himself, who has said that he feels guilty for being always at work and usually absent during his children's youth.