If you are a true fan of animation, you should sample the works of Hayao Miyazaki. The long time director of over half of a dozen animated films for Studio Ghibli such as Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke and the Oscar award winning Spirited Away, his latest film Gake no Ue no Ponyo has recently debuted in the U.S. Released last year in Japan to rave reviews and a healthy box office, the film made several pre-screenings before landing in American theaters. Ponyo is the story of a goldfish who is found by a boy and decides that it wants to be human.

The story is that simple. Upon finding the goldfish on the beach, which Sōsuke names Ponyo, the boy vows to protect his new pet. Of course, Ponyo is no ordinary goldfish. Her face looks human; she is very energetic; and she immediately takes a liking to Sosuke from her green water-filled bucket. Their relationship is cut short when Ponyo’s father, a magic using wizard and former human, comes from the sea to retrieve his daughter. While Sosuke deals with his lost and his mother deals with a husband, a ship’s captain who is still out at sea, Ponyo declares to her father that she wants to be human and rejoin Sosuke. Her father isn’t having any of that. Fujimoto has rejected humanity and has plans to end mankind’s domain over of the planet. Ponyo’s eventual escape and transformation into a human girl throws nature out of whack. The rest of the movie deals with the consequence of Ponyo’s wish to be human for Sosuke’s family and his village by the sea.

Visually, Ponyo is simple and yet amazing to watch. 2-dimensional, hand-drawn, theatrical, animated movies are not dead as long as Studio Ghibli continues to makes visual gems like Ponyo. Nothing against 3D computer generated films, they are the new norm for theatrical releases. But having grown up with traditional cell animation, there is still something special about 2D animation done to this level which is well . . . special. Story wise, it is a simple fairy tale placed in a modern setting. It is what it is. It is not filled with Japanese folklore like the creatures from Spirited Away. And though Fujimoto’s driving motivation is to save the planet from humanity’s carelessness, the film doesn’t raise the environmental destruction to levels that Princess Mononoke did. And for animation fans unfamiliar with Studio Ghibli works, Ponyo does not have the “humor for adults” track that most recent western animated films tend to have. Personally, I find that very refreshing. So your enjoyment of Ponyo hinges on your engagement in the story.

Ponyo won’t go down as one of my favorite Miyazaki films, but I can still appreciate its simple story and visual magic.

Studio: Studio Ghibli
U.S. Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Composer: Joe Hisaishi
Release: 2008
Rating: G
Length: 100 minutes
Audience: children
Official Site: Ponyo Site (English)