Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Gake no Ue no Ponyo (Ponyo)
2008
****½
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Cast: Tomoko Yamaguchi, Kazushige Nagashima, Yūki Amami, George Tokoro, Yuria Nara, Hiroki Doi, Rumi Hiiragi, Akiko Yano, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Tomoko Naraoka

Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli bring us another enchanting and unique 2D animation. This one tells a story of a 5-year-old boy Sōsuke, who lives by the coast where he befriends a small fish he names Ponyo. Ponyo wants to become a human, but her wizard father is against the idea. Once again Miyazaki intertwines reality and fantasy into an imaginative and unpredictable film, which leaves a warm and fuzzy feeling. Obviously it also looks fabulous. The script was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Little Mermaid.