I have a lot of respect for Japanese animation. I think the animation in them is amazing and the stories they tell are usually brilliant. Here is a film called Ponyo and while not as beautiful as some of the directors other works it shows how is an amazing creator of animated films and earn my respect. As you can expect from this film if have seen the other works of Hayao Miyazaki then you know just how brilliant the animation is. If you haven't them prepare to be amazed. As for the story it is filled with wonder. The characters are nice, and the plot is magical. I only had two problems with the film that stopped me from giving 4 stars. The first problem is that Ponyo gets annoying at times. I still love her character, but I think the screaming could have been less of an issue. Then the biggest flaw of this movie is that it is way to short. "Sprited Away" had a perfect runtime. 2 hours is a great amount of time that allows the viewer to be pulled to the magical world and never get bored of it. In this case it felt way to short. Before I knew it the movie was over. The ending feels like it will last a few minutes, but it ends up ending in the middle of when it should have been continuing. It feels like a film that is missing a few scenes. Other than that this film is sure to amaze you in many ways.
3 and a 1/2 stars out of 4
3 and a 1/2 stars out of 4