Excellent, Without a doubt!!

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

I love Studio Ghibli films. There are the masterpieces, the great ones, the enjoyable ones, and the forgettable ones. Ponyo is this animation studios take on The Little Mermaid. It doesn't exceed to those standards but it's good. Studio Ghibli Films are always animated well. I liked the main character Soske because his life was very interesting imo. Most of the characters were likable except for that Sea Father or something. The scenes in the sea and in that land bubble were stunning like a dream. Breathing in water while fish swimming around you inside your house. I liked everything about the movie except that I felt that Soske and Ponyo's chemistry could've been a little less awkward with especially with that kiss at the end. Some of the movies story is kinda stupid with how the Sea Father guy started a tsunami just because Ponyo got alike there wasn't anything that different about her except her looks. And also one scene was just gross and barely made any sense. Let's just say it has a baby in it. Other than that, I liked it. Obviously not on Sprited Away, Porcu Roso, or Princess Mononoke's level but it's good. 7/10.

I really liked the film to a great extent. It was so good. I am a 17 year old but would have enjoyed it even more if I was a young girl as it was so adorable and cute and made so effortlessly. I could make this review alot more elaborate and mature but would like to keep it quite simple with lucid vocabulary and writing since the film reflects so much innocenes and purity and playful childish delight. So ponyo is a fish with a face ..unusual right. .who starts fancying this young 5 year old boy Soshuke and thus begins her quest to become a human..a great adaptation of little mermaid. I especially loved Soshuke's mom and their relationship since she was such cool mom and an awesome example of a mom and a good human being even if she is flawed like everyone At first I was quite skeptical going into the film as I thought it won't be that good my I was wrong. The animation is immensely beautiful and each frame is art so thats all I can say ..the story and direction are amazing since the characters stay with you and the film just draws you in and you feel the simplicity yet the great depth of the messages and profoundness. Definitely enjoyable and one common thing with spirited away that is very entertaining and emotionally layered so yes 10 stars:).The character development is also really good as soshuke is just a hero.

Spoilers, but really, there's not much to give away, its Ghibli's version of Disney's version of the Little Mermaid.Synopsis: Ponyo is a goldfish who lives under the sea with her wizard father and many goldfish sisters. One day she ventures to the surface to satisfy her undying curiosity about the world above the surface. She meets a boy named Sosuke there, and a strong bond of love develops between them. She gets into her father's magical elixirs, miraculously acquires legs and goes to live with Sosuke on the land as a real human girl, but Sosuke must make a commitment to her, or she will dissolve into sea foam, and the world might end (not really sure about that last part, it wasn't very well explained)Story: 6.0 This, as the poster says, is the Little Mermaid. Well, kinda. Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Sea-Maid was actually a tragedy, and had an appropriately tragic ending. Now, there's nothing wrong with doing a Miyazaki version of the Little Mermaid, but I still can't give it high marks for originality, unlike many of his other movies which had brilliant stories. Really, the thing I had the biggest problem with was that Miyazaki set everything up to follow the Anderson version, even adding the sea foam element, but at the last minute, the great "test" ended up being nothing but an underwhelmingly simple question. Lots of buildup, and then the story Disneyed out, lacking the courage to stick with the Anderson ending. Just like Disney, they take Anderson's The Little Sea-Maid and tack on a happy ending, but this was obviously tacked on with little effort. Perhaps if the "test" had been more of an ordeal I could have accepted it. We might as well have been watching an animated version of one of Shakespeare's tragedies, but everybody lives in the end, with nothing more than a single line of dialogue to explain the difference.I understand that this was supposed to be a movie for five year olds, but Miyazaki seems to have forgotten that five year olds don't pay for movie tickets or buy DVDs, their parents do. This movie, unlike his other works, has little to offer older audiences. It doesn't have to end with the mermaid dead, but you could have at least let the tension build so audiences felt relief when the expected tragic end was avoided.Animation: 8.0 The animation here is not as strikingly beautiful or detailed as Spirited Away, but it's still gorgeous. The character designs are typical for Ghibli. Perhaps the best of the visuals appears about half way into the movie, where Ponyo has acquired the magic she needs to become human and she runs along the surface of the stormy ocean to get to the land and see Sosuke. It's impressive, and worth watching the movie if just for this sequence.Sound: 7.0 The Japanese cast definitely put more emotion into their performances. I wish Disney would hire more professional voice actors rather than going for big names. Not that Liam Neeson or Cate Blanchett did a bad job. Actually I enjoyed their performances. It's just that they are so recognizable, and also that there are so many truly great voice actors and actresses out there that could have done this, possibly better. A good example is during the scene where Sosuke and his mom are driving in the storm, trying to get home from the Senior Center while the waves crash around them. Tina Fey's performance is good, but Tomoko Yamaguchi was superior, vocally conveying the peril of her situation where Fey sounded more "in control." The music was almost entirely orchestral, and fit the feel of the movie. There were very few vocals. The credit song, "Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea," is cute and fun. Overall, it's a good soundtrack for the movie, but not one I would buy.Characters: 7.0 Characters are where Miyazaki has always excelled. He is such a keen observer of human behavior, especially that of children, that his animation captures them like magic and this is no exception. However, when re-creating the story of the Little Sea- Maid one character was left out, and that robbed the story of its necessary tension. In the original, there is another girl. The Prince has to choose between the Mermaid and a human Princess. It's a triangle, and that is of course why the ending fell flat. Of course he was going to choose Ponyo, there was nobody else. Also, Sosuke has a dad who is captain of a ship. The part seems to have been added just so Matt Damon could have half a dozen lines in the film. Add to this that earlier in the movie, Fujimoto, Ponyo's dad, states that he wants to rid the world of all the nasty humans, but now he's fine with his daughter becoming one and going off to live with them. That's a hell of a flip-flop to let go completely unexplained. Unfortunately, Fujimoto's miraculous change of heart seems to be the only development we get from any character in the show.Overall: 7.0 There were moments of pure magic in this film, as there are with all Miyazaki films. It was beautiful. While there may have been issues with the story, the animation and sound were still worthy of a Ghibli film, and that makes it worth watching. I recommend it, but only to those who have already seen all the others. If you still haven't seen Spirited Away, Mononoke Hime, Nausicaa, or My Neighbor Totoro, see those first.

A goldfish(Nara) is found by a human boy(Doi). The Wizard(Neeson) is found to be the father of the goldfish. The human boy calls it Ponyo hence the name of the film. Ponyo is captured by the Wizard. Ponyo's friends help get her back with the human boy. Sôsuke's mom(Fey) is gone and has been taken by The Wizard. The Wizard and the Ponya's Mom changes Ponyo back to a fish. However a clever old lady realises that Ponyo is actually in danger along with the mom and the Residents of a nearby Nursing home. So the Sea Goddess has a change of heart and turns Ponyo into human. IN order for this to happen Sosuke and the goldfish must "be on land and jump in the air". So overall, not bad a film. My first time ever seeing the film. Yet I never heard of it or even saw it in cinemas. hahahah. I only saw it on my TV Guide and decided to check it out.