Ponyo

Initially titled "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea," and when you see it, you'll know why. This crazy Japanese anime film is about a little boy who finds a little...girl thingy and they become best friends immediately.  A problem arises immediately when the little girl thingy has to go back into the ocean and separate from the little boy.  Bringing them together forever is the basis of the story.


I am a huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki's work (the writer and director), but I was severly disappointed by Ponyo.  It was incredibly cute and touching, but it felt more hollow than anything I'd ever seen Miyazaki do.  It was basically a weird, Japanese adaption of The Little Mermaid.  In the sphere of Miyazaki's other works, Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, etc., it pales in comparison.

(If you're new to Miyazaki, I recommend seeing either Howl's Moving Castle, or Spirited Away first.)