Ponyo
When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.
Critics Sentiment
Ponyo's magic causes a massive tsunami wave
Lisa departs to check on nursing home
The film drops from the spectacular tsunami sequence to its emotional low point with Lisa's departure, before recovering with the magical boat adventure.
Ponyo maintains consistently positive reception throughout, with critics praising its visual beauty and innocent charm while noting its simpler story compared to other Miyazaki works. The film peaks with its stunning water animation sequences and dips slightly during quieter character moments that some found lacking in depth. Overall, reviewers appreciated it as a delightful children's film with gorgeous hand-drawn animation, even if it didn't reach the philosophical sophistication of Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 25
Yuria Kozuki
Ponyo (voice)
Hiroki Doi
Sosuke (voice)
George Tokoro
Fujimoto (voice)
Tomoko Yamaguchi
Risa (voice)
Yuki Amami
Gran Mamare (voice)
Kazushige Nagashima
Koichi (voice)
Akiko Yano
Ponyo's Sister (voice)
Shin'ichi Hatori
Anchorman (voice)
Tokie Hidari
Kayo (voice)
Rumi Hiiragi
Young Mother (voice)
Tomoko Naraoka
Yoshie (voice)
Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Toki (voice)
Eimi Hiraoka
Kumiko (voice)
Nozomi Ōhashi
Karen (voice)
Akiko Takeguchi
Noriko (voice)
Eiko Kanazawa
(voice)
Akihiko Ishizumi
(voice)
Tomie Kataoka
(voice)
Shirou Saitou
(voice)
Mutsumi Sasaki
(voice)
Crew
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