Ro's Recz

Ponyo is one of the more recent Studio Ghibli films, having come out in 2008. This means that the animation is better than a lot of other Miyazaki films, which is something I really enjoyed. However, it is not only the animation, but the story which is also good. It, with all of the other Ghibli movies, is available to watch on HBO Max.

Ponyo is a bit childish compared to other Ghibli films, but it is also a really positive and uplifting movie. Ponyo is a goldfish princess who meets a young boy named Sosuke, whom she quickly becomes friends with. She wants to become human so that she can be friends with Sosuke, but her father does not want this to happen so he brings her back to the ocean kingdom that they live in. Eventually, it turns into a struggle between Ponyo’s desire to become human and her father’s desire to hold her back.

While Ponyo’s father is considered the “villain” in the movie, even he is not so bad. Instead, most of the movie is simply about Ponyo and Sosuke’s growing relationship, and all of the adventures that they have together.

Although Ghibli movies like Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Totoro will always be considered classics, I really enjoyed Ponyo for its’ characters and storyline. I don’t know how I would rank the Ghibli movies I have watched so far (I am still trying to get through them all), but I would recommend Ponyo to anyone who has not watched it before!