- Location: Cinemark Egyptian 24
- Ponyo, Hayao Miyazaki's enjoyable animated retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, falls somewhere between the Disney and original versions of the story in terms of seriousness. Like all of Miyazaki's work, the film is immensely creative and exceedingly beautiful. The first two-thirds of the film, in fact, are among the best of his work that I've seen, featuring an absolutely wonderful set of characters who occupy a world comprised of equal parts magic, childhood wonderment, and real-world responsibility. Although Miyazaki is already regarded by many (including me) as the best living creator of traditionally animated films, he continues to add to his reputation with each new project.
- The half-familiar story follows the adventures of a mischievous goldfish named Ponyo (Noah Cyrus), who falls in love with a human boy named Sosuke (Frankie Jonas). Although their initial interactions are somewhat limited in scope, tasting a drop of Sosuke's blood soon enables Ponyo to transform herself into a young girl, much to the consternation of her father, the sea wizard Fujimoto (Liam Neeson). Although Fujimoto cares deeply for Ponyo (whom he calls Brunhilde) and her hundreds of sisters, he despises humanity for having polluted the oceans. Sosuke's mother, Lisa (Tina Fey), on the other hand, is surprisingly accepting of her son's budding friendship with a magical fish-girl, although her own marriage with Koichi (Matt Damon) is literally out to sea. Because Ponyo has disrupted the balance between land and ocean, however, the Moon is getting closer and...well, let's just agree that she has to become either a fish or a human. In the end, it is Sosuke's love for Ponyo in all forms that convinces Fujimoto and Ponyo's sea goddess mother Granmamare (Cate Blanchett) that the two belong together. While this last bit is slightly confusing and anti-climactic, I know better than to watch a Miyazaki film for the plot anyway.
- There are many great moments in Ponyo, and their incredible diversity may be the most impressive aspect of the film. For example, I absolutely loved the scene in which Lisa and Sosuke drive through an increasingly threatening typhoon as Ponyo magically runs along the surface of the water. The waves are huge, the wind is violent, and the music is unashamedly Wagnerian. But then I also loved the moments in which Ponyo and Sosuke simply sit around and act like kids. Nearly every new discovery about the world, even something as prosaic as tasting ham, sets Ponyo leaping about in excitement, and the kids' happiness is so contagious that it is difficult not to smile. Did I mention the gentle loveliness of film's beginning, in which an enormous collection of wondrous sea creatures makes its daily progress to the ocean's surface? Any film with this many great scenes must itself be great.
- I missed several of the voice actors, including Betty White, Cloris Leachman, and Lily Tomlin.
