Life Begins Again: Ponyo (Gake no ue no Ponyo)

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Starring the voices of Frankie Jonas, Noah Cyrus, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, and Matt Damon.

Oh my god an actual post I hear you say in your head. Yes dear readers, you're partial, prejudiced, and ignorant film critic is back from hiatus! I know you were waiting with bated breath. I am all settled here in New York and bonus: I have internet access! So on to the review...

SYNOPSIS: For those not in the know, Ponyo is the lasted film from Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. His previous films include Howl's Moving Castle and the Academy award-winning Spirited Away. I am a big fan of Miyazaki's work so I was a little biased going into the film. The story is a kind of a re-telling of the little mermaid and involves the relationship between Ponyo, a fish girl, and Sosuke, the boy who rescues her.

THE POSITIVE: As always Miyazaki delivers with great visuals and a compelling (if somewhat simple) story. Honestly the animation in this movie alone makes it worth seeing, it's very fanciful and Miyazaki does a good job of creating a world apart from our own. It was also very old-school, with less of a digital look which I think worked with the simplicity of the story. I also thought the voice casting was spot-on. Frankie Jonas and Noah Cyrus (who is a GIRL by the way-celebrities stop naming your kids weird names!) really seemed to go well together and their excitement was catching. Despite the "big names" casted I thought everyone was a good fit for the role. However, I would like to point out that Miyazaki really lets the visuals drive the story and it works well and it really kept me engaged. I thought it was a simple story and he told it in a simple way-of course his version has several twists so don't expect flounder to make an appearance. He also toned down the environmentalism and anti-war critiques(though it still makes an appearance) which was so rampant in Howl. Yes it's nice to make a statement in a movie, but don't just insert it into character actions-I'm looking at you Star Wars Episode II.

THE NEGATIVE: Liam Neeson, I love you, but I can't imagine you in anything but a serious role. Maybe this was my fault, but as the father of Ponyo he seemed a little too intense. I was also expecting a little more out of the film. Most Miyazaki films are rife with travels to different worlds and trials for the heroes, but this seemed a bit tame. Maybe it was because our heroes are both quite young, but it didn't seem to have the same punch as some of his other films.

This isn't really a negative, but it's kind of a warning. There are some unanswered questions in the film, with most Miyazaki films you just have to take the world as it is. There are spirit bathhouses, talking frogs, and creepy ghosts. Why these things exist isn't clear and it's the same with Ponyo. Where she comes from and where her powers come from is pretty much a mystery-I expect that from his film so I didn't have a problem with it, but don't go expecting everything to be clear at the end.

THE VERDICT: I would go see it. If you're looking for something cute and silly to go to this is it. It's funny and the animation is amazing. I think anyone will walk out of the theater smiling and you don't...then I don't know what's wrong with you.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.*