Ponyo, Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli

Ponyo is a Japanese animation written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. There are elements of The Little Mermaid here but this is very much a Studio Ghibli story. The animation starts with the little fish-girl, Brunhilde and her father Fujimoto (once human) who lives under the sea. Brunhilde sneaks off on the back of a jellyfish. After an encounter with a fishing trawler she ends up stuck in a glass jar. She gets rescued by a small boy called Sosuke. He renames her Ponyo. The film follows their adventures.

The animation has a real charm about it. The way the sea is portrayed is beautifully done and very expressive. It’s as if it has a life of its own. According to Miyazaki the name Ponyo is onomatopoeic. It is based on his idea of what a “soft, squishy softness” sounds like when touched.