While it doesn't compare to Miyazaki at his best, it's still very good.
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Ponyo
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 3, age appropriate for kids over 5; suggested age 5. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Miyazaki's stunning adventure is geared to younger kids.
Themes in this movie include: family relationships, friendship, honesty, loss
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 5 and Up
The good stuff
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Educational value:
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Role models:
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About Ponyo
Parents need to know that this stunning adventure from anime master Hayao Miyazaki is one of his most kid-friendly films to date, with strong characters and positive messages. There's little violence, although a few scenes during and after a climactic storm may disturb the youngest viewers. Some scenes in which parents and other characters seem to be missing might also be upsetting. Parents may be put off by the idea that two 5-year-old characters must at one point fend for themselves without supervision -- but this is, after all, a fairy tale-like story.
Read our full review by Sandie Angulo Chen
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about Sosuke and Ponyo's journey to be together. What obstacles did they each have to overcome, and what sacrifices (if any) did they each have to make? Is it strange that Sosuke and Ponyo are 5, instead of teenagers?
- Miyazaki loosely based this story on Hans Christian Andersen's original Little Mermaid fairy tale. How does this version of the story compare to the Disney movie?
- Families who want to learn more about anime may want to screen Miyazaki's other films together. How are they similar to each other, and how are they different from most American-made animated movies?
Our Members Say
See all 58 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- I rate this title iffy for age 5 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Very weird movie.
A very odd movie. many confusing parts that made NO sense to my kids and little sense to me! Skip it and save the money!
- I rate this title iffy for age 5 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Very weird movie.
A very odd movie. many confusing parts that made NO sense to my kids and little sense to me! Skip it and save the money!
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
GO PONYO!
This movie is an amazing masterpiece! My kids have memorized the theme song in Englisn AND Japanese, which gave them a great multicultural experience! It also taught them about true love! The only bad part, as fellow reviewer cabbe said, is the part with the mom, the baby, and the soup. Other than that, this was a beautiful touching movie! I cried 7 times!
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My highlights are:
A film for the family that wont dissapoint to much.
Kids under 8 would not get this and it would just go over there heads. Sends good meassege of bravry. altho it is a good movie but felt to short. Subtitles are not to hard to read and don't go to quickly. The film is 1hr 40min but feels like 3 scenes.
- I rate this title on for age 6 and give itMy concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- My highlights are:
Hiyao Miyazaki Makes a Masterpiece Once Again!
My children absolutely loves this movie! The animation was beautiful too. The only bad part was the awkward scene where ponyo offered a baby some soup and when the mother started drinking it she got angry and said it was for the baby. The mother then explained about breastfeeding!
- I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
Awesome for the whole family
I loved this movie almost as much as my daughter did! It's not very often that I really enjoy and get wrapped up in the story of a children's movie, but I was enthralled. The ending was kind of odd, but my daughter seemed unfazed by it. She LOVED this movie-we'll definitely buy it on dvd.
- I rate this title iffy for age 4 and give it
A boring film that will barely hold your kids interest
Simply put, the movie was boring. Besides being an animated movie, there was nothing there for a kid to enjoy. It felt more like a subdued anime for adults.
- I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
Good for everyone
Loved it. I might get my mom to buy this on DVD because it rocks.
- I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
Love it it was an educational but a good film at the same time.
- I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Ponyo rocks.
The movie Ponyo had some scary parts. Ponyo and the boy Sosake basically get married at the end of the movie. Sometimes it has some harsh parts and fantasy violence. It had lots of fantasy stuff about the ocean and that part was sort of violent. And that explains the waves turning into giant fish that Ponyo was running on. It was weird when Ponyo started out as a tiny goldfish, went to a bigger fish, turned into a human, and then Ponyo started changing back into a human/fish and then at the end she was a tiny gold fish again, and then turned back into a human. Some of it was sort of crazy, like when the giant waves were going up like a water volcano. Overall, I think it was a good movie. I will watch it again when it comes out on DVD. The scary parts maybe won’t be as scary on the TV compared to the theater screen. It was sort of cute and at the same time really weird.
- I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
Good one for older than 4 set who've watched a few movies
I was a bit reluctant to see this movie with my 6 year old daughter after reading some of the reviews, but was glad I did. First, to clarify, the mother didn't just abandon her son during a bad storm. They stayed together, and when it was OVER, she decided she had to check on the elderly residents of the nursing home where she worked. They were invalid and she was afraid they hadn't evacuated. She decided it was safer for him to stay home, in one of the few houses left with power, rather than go with her. Would a real mom leave her 5 year old son alone? Probably not, but it's not a frightening scene, and the boy acts and speaks MUCH older than any 5 year old, BTW. Yes, she was annoyed with the father for going on another work-related ship journey, but I've seen worse behavior out of many Disney characters. There was a VERY brief scene of her opening a can with Japenese symbols on it. We grownups might realize it's a beer, most kids won't. She is lying around after but nothing suggests she is drunk. She is sad, annoyed and tired. Actually, if I hadn't read this site first, I might not have even picked up on the fact she might have had a beer or two. The storm scenes are scary for sensitive kids. They are fantastical and creative and not stuff we are used to seeing (except for the Japanese animation fans among us). If your kids didn't freak at Monsters v. Aliens or Bolt, and are older than 4, they should be fine with this. For the most part, it is a sweet, magical story with a Little Mermaid theme about a goldfish wanting to be human. I thought the role models were fine here. The father is a bit odd-looking, but it didn't seem to bother my daughter at all (and I could listen to Liam Nielsen read the phone book). Ponyo's mother might be scary at first because she is HUGE, but then we realize she is gentle and beautiful. Both the little boy and Ponyo have to make a decision at the end. It is not all up to him to decide if he loves her. She must agree about where she wants to live as well. Overall, a movie my daughter and I both enjoyed, and I'm glad something different like this came along...
- I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
Three Cheers for Ponyo
A real children's movie. It wasn't made for adults. It's sweet, beautifully done and lovely to watch. What a breath of fresh air compared to our violent adult humored children's movies that America produces. Every child should see this. It's real art!!!
- I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Miyazake magic for younger viewers
My son already loves Miyazake films, and this one is comparatively mild, though still magical. The plot gets pretty wacky but I'll take this fairy tale over The Little Mermaid any day.
- I rate this title off for age 17 and give itMy concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
about guys eating pickles cool huh
- I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
Underated by to many Adults
This is the best movie ever. There is a ton of adults saying it sucked and they walked out but what all these people have in common is that they only stayeed for the firs 20 or so minutes. This movie is really sweet. The only reason I wouldn't take kids under 5 is because they may not understand the concept and the tsunami scene may be a little scary, but barely that they have cute little fish waves!!!:) Most parents say oh the mom wanted the Dad to bug off and called him a jerk, but can you honestly say you wouldn't say that when your little 5 year old had been let down by his dad numerous times which probaby broke his heart. I agree the mom shouldn't have left the little boy, but he wasn't entirly alone, but remeber this movie takes place in Japan not America things might be a little different there. You can really tell Ponyo loves this little boy and the movie is about A little girl finding who she really is and becoming human! I't is a great film that had great animation. This movie may be a little long, ut it is very enjoyable! Not to mention I love the Ponyo song!!!!!!:)
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
A very good movie. At the beginning, I was worried that I was watching a movie for little kids-But, as it went on, it became much better. It was especially "cute" as most people would say, and I would definitely reccommend this movie for all ages-just make sure you dont watch the first 10 minutes before giving your opinion.
- I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Finally, a Family Film that Everyone Can Enjoy
Hayao Miyazaki. Just say it. It's such a whimsical name, and rightfully so. He is, without question, the greatest animator alive. Creating such masterpieces as "Princess Mononoke," "Spirited Away," and "Howl's Moving Castle," he's finally made a film entirely accessible to a very young audience. And what a film. While trying to fully describe the plot would be incredibly foolish of me, I can say that it centers on a boy named Sosuke who finds a goldfish in the ocean, not knowing that she's a sea princess. She wants to become human, but her absence from the sea creates an imbalance in nature that could threaten Earth's very existence. Think "Pinocchio" meets "The Little Mermaid" meets "Spirited Away." With an all-star cast and light humor, "Ponyo" is a film that families with small children (or children of any age) can't afford to miss.
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
I loved it!
- I rate this title off for age 5 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Negative role models
The Ez Show is right.
aboustely sucks
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Ratings at a Glance
| 50% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 42% | of parents say there are good role models |
| 33% | of parents say it's too violent |
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