.

Ponyo

Noah Cyrus, Frankie Jonas, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Rolling Stone: star rating
5 3.5
Community: star rating
5 3.5 0
August 13, 2009

Outside of Disney/Pixar magic, you may wonder why critics consider animation an art. Wonder no more. Just see Ponyo, from Japanese animé genius Hayao Miyazaki. Ponyo falls a sliver short of the maestro's landmarks (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away), but the delicate colors and hand-drawn, proudly 2-D images are breathtaking. Ponyo, voiced by Noah Cyrus (Miley's sis), is a goldfish with a human face. Sosuke (voiced by Frankie Jonas, a guppy JoBro), a five-year-old boy, finds her in a jar. Then magic turns her into a human girl, throwing the natural order out of balance, along with his parents (Matt Damon, Tina Fey) and hers (Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett). Miyazaki works marvels. Sit back and behold.

prev
Movie Review Main Next

ADD A COMMENT

Community Guidelines »
loading comments

loading comments...

COMMENTS

Sort by:
    Read More

    Movie Reviews

    More Reviews »
    Daily Newsletter

    Get the latest RS news in your inbox.

    Sign up to receive the Rolling Stone newsletter and special offers from RS and its
    marketing partners.

    X

    We may use your e-mail address to send you the newsletter and offers that may interest you, on behalf of Rolling Stone and its partners. For more information please read our Privacy Policy.

    Song Stories

    “Let My Love Open the Door”

    Pete Townshend | 1980

    A peppy, hopeful love song, "Let My Love Open the Door" became a U. S. Top Ten hit for Pete Townshend in 1980, anchored by the kind of repeating synthesizer figures that he'd used in some of the Who's recordings in the previous decade. Although Townshend brushed the song off as "just a ditty" in Rolling Stone shortly after its release, in 1996 he revealed it was about love of the holiest sort. "It's supposed to be about the power of God's love," he remarked. "That when you're in difficulty, whether it's major or minor, God's love is always there for you."

    More Song Stories entries »