Ponyo

'Ponyo' = adorable film. This Japanese film by Hayao Miyazaki is a simple and tender story with beautiful themes and very pretty art. Though I really did enjoy the voice actors in the English adaptation of this movie, I think I would have enjoyed the film just as much in the original Japanese with subtitles. Maybe that is just me. Regardless, I really liked this cute little film. The premise is a little more complicated than it needed to be, but the messages were pretty clear: humans are only mostly awful and don't judge based on appearances. The second theme was predominant in the film, thankfully. Early in the plot, Sōsuke's mother tells Sōsuke not to call the man she just referred to as a 'weirdo' because, it's not right to judge people on the way they look. Her words and this message are brought up again a few times throughout the film and then are revealed to be the basis of the test that Sōsuke must pass in order to save the world (for the most part). It is a very simple theme for a very simple movie. I don't mean this in a negative way at all. The plot held together well and I found myself laughing out loud at times and emotionally vulnerable at others. This is the point of this sort of film. All in all 'Ponyo' wins for me. I highly recommend a viewing of this adorable film when the opportunity arises. It is short and very sweet. Please enjoy it someday.