‘Ponyo’ is the latest animated creation from the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, whom I consider one of the best directors of our time, having done ’My Neighbor Totoro’ and recent Oscar-winner ‘Spirited Away’. He captivates the audience not with one-liners or explosions but with images, with his incredible hand-drawn animation.
 
‘Ponyo’ is a variation of ‘The Little Mermaid’: A young fish named Ponyo rises from a Japanese shore, and is found by a 5-year old boy, Sosuke. They develop a very close friendship, although when she begins to transform into a human, her background as a princess comes to light and although she doesn’t know it, she wields a power that could bring an end to Earth.
 
‘Ponyo’ represents a somewhat rare thing these days: A simple story that doesn’t stoop to its audience, a heartfelt tale that doesn’t feel forced. Simply put: Mayazaki emulates the best of 1930′s-era Disney, which makes one feel depressed that you consider that recent Disney trash ‘G-Force’ stands at $104 million in ticket sales. ‘Ponyo’ has $6 million. 
 
One objection I have: To make the film more marketable to young audiences, Disney re-dubbed the film into English, using young siblings of Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers as voices. They obviously did it to sort of slide their foot in the door for eventual super-stardom, whilst I would prefer more gifted voice actors to do the job. On the other hand, having Liam Neeson, Tina Fey, Cate Blanchett and Matt Damon as voices is simply awesome. 
 
I must make this open plea. Parents, want to expose your kids to great film-making? ‘Ponyo’ is as close to high art as children’s films can possibly get. A-