Ponyo (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

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by: John D. Goode (Seattle, WA)
on: Tuesday, 2-November-2010

Im a fan, I cant think of much from studio Ghibli that I havent really loved, full disclosure. I think the animation and character voicing in Ponyo is exceptional, the story was too much like the Little Mermaid which inspired it and certainly this isnt as original as Spirited Away. Still its well worth your viewing time.

by: Mary Runion (Indiana)
on: Sunday, 31-October-2010

AWESOME!!!
My 3 yr old twins (boy/girl) love the colors and scenery of the movie. The story of love between two people beyond anything physical and without any selfish motives, transcends all age groups and was refreshing to see! Loved it from beginning to end!

Service was great too. We didnt expect it as soon as it came but they got it to us in less than a week!

by: embrli (United States)
on: Sunday, 24-October-2010

Grandchildren (ages 7 and 9) loved this tale about a magical goldfish/girl who loves a human boy despite her fathers fears of environmental disaster. Nice energy and imagery with a family feel.

by: Zhandra (Florida)
on: Thursday, 21-October-2010

Ponyo has very rapidly made it into my personal top 3 favorite films of all time (right up there with Across the Universe and Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium (Widescreen Edition)). Between the exceptional animation, inspiring characters, and heart-warming story, this film successfully captures an audience of 1-100 and beyond.

The visuals in this film are awe-inspiring... from Ponyo running gleefully along huge waves comprised of water-fish, to the magnificent sea spirit portrayed in soothing, powerful colors, to the elderly running free of their wheelchairs in an aquatic orb reminiscent of Eden... this movie is guaranteed to light up the hearts and faces of any child.

The storyline is such a beautiful portrayal of childhood innocence, and the enduring nature of unadulterated genuine love. Ponyo shows no hesitation in trading magic for humanity in the name of love, reminding us all that power and possessions are of little importance.

The characters are almost personifications of positive emotions. Ponyo herself is the epitome of the most unwavering, naive, pristine joy we could all use a little more of in our lives. Be it a light bulb, a bucket, or HAM, everything is an exciting new discovery that blows her mind in the most wonderful way. Sosuke is inspiring in the way he doesnt question anything, and just allows life to take him on a beautiful journey. My fish is now a little girl... That prehistoric fish has come to life... The elderly can run again... none of these concepts seem far-fetched or unbelievable in any way to Sosuke. Sosukes mother is wonderfully dysfunctional yet determined. When Sosuke sees Ponyo running atop waves in the midst of a storm of biblical proportions, she stops the car in order to look for the little girl, trusting her 5 year old son in a way few parents trust their children.

All in all, this movie is a must-watch for any family. I personally watched it with a group of friends and family ranging from less than 1 year old to 35, and we all shared the same hysterical giggles and elation.

by: Ben-Oni (Golgotha)
on: Saturday, 2-October-2010

A mother leaving her five year old son Sosuke to check on senile people who are already with other caretakers during a Tsunami. A goldfish named Ponyo with an ugly looking wizard for a father and a really big good looking lady for a Mother finding this five year old boy. The five year old pledging true love to the goldfish-turned-human.A big rift in the plot where sosukes mother is somehow underwater speaking with Ponyos mother. There are a ton of things wrong with this movie.

I liked it.

by: Jeffery Van Fleet (Fort Collins, CO)
on: Tuesday, 28-September-2010

This was a great film enjoyed by everyone in the house from 4 to 40

by: D. Obregon (United States)
on: Saturday, 18-September-2010

The transfer looks good and the movie is classic Miyazaki. Its enjoyable by all ages and is great to add to the collection.

by: D. Obregon (United States)
on: Saturday, 18-September-2010

The transfer looks good and the movie is classic Miyazaki. Its enjoyable by all ages and is great to add to the collection.

by: Goodneighbor (Williamson, NY United States)
on: Sunday, 12-September-2010

This is a great kids movie. The animation is wonderful, the story is heartwarming and their are some very nice messages about social responsibilities...

by: Nessa (United States)
on: Wednesday, 8-September-2010

My son 6, with an autism diagnosis is not usually interested in movies. He would watch this one. Two thumbs up.

by: shaxper (Lakewood, OH)
on: Monday, 6-September-2010

If youre already familiar with the films of Miyazaki, Ponyo will strike you as being a lot lighter and simple -- feel great fluff. However, if youre new to Miyazaki and just looking for a good film to watch with your child, youre likely to be blown away.

On the one hand, Ponyo is far from Miyazakis greatest work. It lacks depth, dramatic tension, and even a comprehensible plot. A lot of this simple but unique spin on The Little Mermaid simply doesnt make any sense. Fortunately the stunning characters and their idealic rural/coastal Japanese setting keep you entertained enough so as not to really notice. This is a beautiful, beautiful film about a sweet boy, a sweet half fish/half girl, and their incredibly sweet childhood love for each other thats more than platonic, less than romantic, and somehow truer than any other love in the world. The fact that Ponyos dad lives in an air bubble under the sea, yet must spray himself with water so as not to dry out on land, doesnt seem to matter as much in contrast. It doesnt even matter so much that, at the end, we really have no idea how Saske loving Ponyo is going to stop the underground well from bringing the moon closer to the world in order to make the tides rise and destroy all of humanity, which her dad planned all along but now wants to stop for no apparent reason(??????).

In the end, it was never the plot that really mattered, just the characters. Ponyo is a charming film that reminds us how magical a world childhood can be, shows us how parents, the elderly, and even neighbors can play a positive role in such a world, and enthralls us in endearing animation all the while. And, while the starr-studded vocal credits seem entirely unnecessary, they do an excellent job of conveying the voices of this world, particularly Noah Cyrus as Ponyo.

Ponyo may lack the depth and epic magnitude of Miyazaki classics like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, but it more than makes up for it in beauty, innocence, and tear-inducing happiness.

by: tinman (United States)
on: Monday, 16-August-2010

This movie was well made but in my opinion the plot was a little simple, but my kids and her friends love it. They keep watching it over and over again.

by: Lesley Aeschliman (Enumclaw, WA)
on: Tuesday, 10-August-2010

Ponyo (which is also known as Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea) is a film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. For this film, Miyazaki chose to make a completely 2D film, and not utilize any 3D computer effects. This approach gives Ponyo a very distinct feel when compared to some of the more recent films that have been produced by Studio Ghibli. However, I believe that the simplicity of the animation really works well with the story being told in the film. Ponyo is a very family-friendly film, and can be enjoyed by both younger and older viewers alike.

There is one bonus feature on the first DVD, which is a roughly three-minute documentary titled, Disc Introduction - Meet Ponyo. This documentary features Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, who were involved with producing the English dub of the film.

The second disc in the set has a set up menu as well, which allows you to choose between English and Japanese audio. The features are split into two sections: Original Japanese Storyboards and The World of Ghibli. Just like on Disneys previous releases of Studio Ghibli films, the Original Japanese Storyboards is simply a version of the film with storyboards.

The menu for The World of Ghibli is split into two sections: Behind the Studio and Other Ghibli Worlds Preview. It starts out with five documentaries, which run anywhere from 2-5 minutes, discussing various aspects of producing Ponyo (and some also briefly touch on some of Miyazakis other works). These subtitled documentaries feature either Hayao Miyazaki or Toshio Suzuki (the producer). This is followed by a nine-and-a-half minute excerpt from a Japanese documentary about where Ponyo is set. This is followed by a roughly eight-minute documentary about how Joe Hiashi scored some of Miyazakis films. Then, there are the original Japanese trailers (which are two trailers that run for three-and-a-half minutes). The final feature in this menu is Behind the Microphone, a six-minute long documentary about recording the English dub of Ponyo.

The Other Ghibli Worlds Preview has sections for My Neighbor Totoro, Kikis Delivery Service, and Castle in the Sky. Each one has a short documentary featuring Miyazaki.

On this disc, there is also Enter the Lands. In the menu for this feature, there are elements from all of Studio Ghiblis films, but only elements for Ponyo, Kikis Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, and Castle in the Sky can be selected. For Ponyo, there is a character quiz. For the other three films, you see a short promo, and then 3-4 page menus with clickable elements (characters give you character bios, and other items react when chosen).

If you are a fan of Miyazaki, or you enjoy the films of Studio Ghibli, then you should see Ponyo. Even though some of the features on disc two of the Disney DVD set are a little disappointing, this is a DVD that should be in the collection of any anime fan.

I wrote this review after watching a copy of this DVD that I checked out through the King County Library System.

by: K. Pham (Huntington Beach, CA USA)
on: Friday, 6-August-2010

My boyfriend loved this movie and I actually bought it as a gift; needless to say he loved the fact it was blu-ray and I loved the fact it also contained a DVD as well! Best deal & a great buy!

by: One Critical Cat (United States)
on: Monday, 19-July-2010

This 2008 movie by Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Howls Moving Castle) was directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki and is loosely based on The Little Mermaid. The story follows a little fish-girl, Ponyo, that runs away from her father and wants to turn into a human and be with a little 5-year old boy, Ssuke, that she meets. The story ensues as Ponyo attempts to become human and threatens the environmental balance of the world.

I had high expectations for this movie as I fell in love with Spirited Away and Miyazaki did not disappoint me. I have never seen 2d animation that can compare to the quality in Miyazakis movies. Ponyo takes it to a completely new level with the style and scope of animation. The detail of the water, colors, and fish is artistic and majestic to say the least. Animation aside, the story and plot of this movie keep you enthralled and excited to see what happens next. I think its a good recommendation for an animated movie that draws you into the plot and characters so much that you forget its animated. Ponyo and he friend seem so alive that it was easy to become immersed in the story.

The only portion to disappoint me in this movie was the last song during the ending credits. I thought the music throughout the story was lilting and pretty like what I was watching and then this last theme song comes on at the end of the credits like a childish and obnoxious TV show.

That being said, I loved this movie and highly suggest you see it.

by: z hayes (TX)
on: Thursday, 15-July-2010

I am glad that Im finally able to share Miyazakis animated features (well, some of them at least) with my five-and-a-half year old daughter. She fell head-over-heels in love with Totoro, the adorable, giant forest spirit in My Neighbor Totoro (Two-Disc Special Edition), and has requested repeated viewings since we first watched the movie together last week! I then introduced her to Kikis Delivery Service: Special Edition - 2-Disc DVD which proved to be another hit, and yesterday, we watched Ponyo for the first time.

My daughter liked Ponyo though she was not as enraptured with it as she was with Totoro (she did not request a repeat viewing like she did with Totoro). The storyline is interesting enough, though it is reminiscent of The Little Mermaid. A little fish named Ponyo (looking a lot like a little girl) lives in her fathers underwater kingdom with thousands of other fish siblings. A misadventure puts her in the path of a little boy named Sosuke, and the pair bond almost instantly. This close connection proves to be a key element in the plot as when Ponyo gets separated from her mortal boy, she does all she can to get back to him, causing imbalance in the two worlds in the process. The rest of the story focuses on what happens to the pair and how everything is resolved.

I loved the colors and the fantastic imagery and animation. There is an abundance of vivid imagery and my young daughter was captivated by what was happening on screen. Ponyo as a character has a lot going for her - she is adorable and young children can easily relate to her precocious nature. The plot does get a tad confusing in parts if only because there is so much going on in the story, but in general, the story flows well. I still prefer My Neighbor Totoro and Kikis Delivery Service (note: this does center on a young witch) over Ponyo, but if youre looking for engaging childrens animated features (ages 5 and up), you cant go wrong with these three. They are also the best bet for younger children in Miyazakis range of animated features as some of the others can be rather dark for younger viewers.

by: S. Vasquez (Tri State USA (NY/NJ/CT))
on: Thursday, 8-July-2010

no long review... GET THIS MOVIE. Beautiful and wonderful story telling. Any movie that is not train or truck centric - that my 6 year old boy asks to watch on a regular basis - gets my big thumbs up!!!

by: Sara Gollop (United States)
on: Friday, 25-June-2010

I loved the movie. My son loved it. It is such a cute movie. It is so expensive in Target and other places. Thank Godness, I was able to still get it through your site.

by: S. Al-Amri (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
on: Monday, 21-June-2010

Having seen this film about 10 times in the last week, I just had to review it. Both my 9 year old granddaughter and her 2 year old sister are loving this film. But the 2 year old is the one who is insisting on seeing it over and over.

Friendship, caring, sharing and so many other good qualities are emphasized in the movie. There is even a large focus on a senior center and the relationship between a small boy and the elders, all done with such emphasis on good manners and love. Granted a fish does not turn into a little girl but that bit of magic is overpowered by the fabulous mothering skills of Souskis mother who just tucks that little girl into her love and caring of her son and grows her family.

If you want a good film which teaches great values with so much ease, then this is a film you need to show your preschoolers. The older kids will enjoy it and you can watch too and enjoy it (at least the first 5 or so times) but the real value comes with the little ones who can learn so much about how to deal with other people from this film.

by: Celie (United States)
on: Monday, 14-June-2010

My soon to be 4 yr old was enjoying the movie before the alchemist father appeared in a frightening scene, so I turned it off, but my son now has nightmares about it.