Ponyo (2009)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:111
Fresh:101
Rotten:10
Average Rating:7.7/10
Consensus: While not Miyazaki's best film, Ponyo is a visually stunning fairy tale that's a sweetly poetic treat for children of all ages.
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Childrens
Synopsis: From the Academy Award®-winning director and world-renowned Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki comes PONYO, a story inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale “The Little Mermaid.” ... From the Academy Award®-winning director and world-renowned Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki comes PONYO, a story inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale “The Little Mermaid.” Already a box-office success in Japan, the story of a young and overeager goldfish named Ponyo (voiced by NOAH CYRUS) and her quest to become human features an outstanding roster of voice talent, including CATE BLANCHETT, MATT DAMON, TINA FEY, CLORIS LEACHMAN, LIAM NEESON, LILY TOMLIN, BETTY WHITE and FRANKIE JONAS as Sosuke, a young boy who befriends Ponyo. --© Walt Disney Pictures [More]
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus, Matt Damon, Tina Fey
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Frankie Jonas, Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin, Betty White
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Screenwriter: Hayao Miyazaki
Producer: Toshio Suzuki, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Steve Alpert
Composer: Joe Hisaishi
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Reviews for Ponyo
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ponyo observes the everyday, magically and truthfully. Full Review |
|||
|
Miyazaki refuses to be dismissed Full Review |
|||
|
lacks any real sense of conflict or danger. It makes up for it. . . with a delightfully absurd internal logic that is perfectly keyed into the way small children see the world Full Review |
|||
|
Bliss Made Simple: Hayao Miyazaki's shimmering 'Ponyo' ('Gake no Ue no Ponyo') Full Review |
|||
|
Hiyao Miyazaki, bless him, continues to be an analog guy in animation's increasingly digital world Full Review |
|||
|
Hayao Miyazaki is off his game with this film that has weaker art and animation than his usual films and a script that needed another draft or two. Full Review |
|||
|
There's a miraculous transformation in almost every moment of the film. Full Review |
|||
|
Ponyo is something of a disappointment. Leaving aside the plot deficiencies and storytelling awkwardness, Mr. Miyazaki's latest simply doesn't look good. Full Review |
|||
|
Children will love this. It's classic Miyazaki. Full Review |
|||
|
Miyazaki effortlessly combines the marvellous and the mundane in his cinema. Visually, Ponyo is an imaginative, exhilarating work, but its vigour and energy are achieved with surprising simplicity. Full Review |
|||
|
It is a delight, this film. There is so much imagination at work here. Full Review |
|||
|
Miyazaki has come up with another memorable film in Ponyo, which is roughly inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid... it’s incredibly beautiful as Miyazaki explores an amazing world of sea creatures and human beings. Full Review |
|||
|
It's one of Miyazaki's funniest and most intimate films so far, partly because of the engaging matter-of-factness with which he marries the extravagantly fantastic with the comforting realities of everyday life. Full Review |
|||
|
Lately, when I want to smile, I just think of Ponyo. Full Review |
|||
|
[N]ever coheres into a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, as Miyazaki's true classics have done... Full Review |
|||
|
Heralds a return to the child-like wonder of Miyazaki’s enduring My Neighbor Totoro. And what do you know? It’s another masterpiece. Full Review |
|||
|
Compared to the animated garbage that typically passes through stateside theaters, it's practically a godsend. Full Review |
|||
|
The sight of the giddy and newly bipedal Ponyo racing atop the waves of a magically roiling flood may be the happiest and most memorable image of the movie year. Full Review |
|||
|
Exquisite artwork backgrounds makes us feel we are living the adventure inside a painting, while endearing characters keep us grounded in reality by delivering identifiable heart-felt emotions. It's the inventiveness and extraordinary detail that stands o Full Review |
|||
|
One of the anime master's weaker efforts. Full Review |
Latest News for Ponyo
August 16, 2009:
Win Preview Tickets to Miyazaki's Ponyo in Sydney
No one's more highly regarded in the world of animation than Japan's Hayao Miyazaki, the director behind such classics as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke... More...
August 13, 2009:
Critics Consensus: District 9 is Certified Fresh
This week at the movies, we've got an alien nation (District 9, starring Jason Cope and Sharlto Copley); a high school musical (Bandslam, starring Gaelan Connell and Vanessa... More...
August 13, 2009:
Box Office Guru Preview: District 9 Invades Over Crowded Frame
With summer almost out of gas, studios toss five more contenders into the ring in hopes of catching moviegoers that just haven't had their share of multiplex entertainment yet.... More...
August 13, 2009:
Total Recall: Hayao Miyazaki's Best Movies
Hayao Miyazaki's last three films (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle) platformed in America to mild success. For his 10th and latest movie, Ponyo (the... More...
More Movies
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 81% 81% | Departures | 04/12 |
| 79% 79% | Disgrace | 04/12 |
| 79% 79% | Me and Orson Welles | 04/12 |
| 66% 66% | The Merry Gentleman | 04/12 |
| 61% 61% | The Girlfriend Experience | 04/12 |
| 47% 47% | The Box | 04/12 |
| 16% 16% | Planet 51 | 04/12 |
| | The Descent: Part 2 | 04/12 |
| | Cracks | 04/12 |
| | Paa | 04/12 |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.







