DVD Review: Ponyo

Ponyo. 100 minutes. Rated G. Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

In 2002, Japanese writer and director Hayao Miyazaki captivated audiences around the world (and won the Academy Award® for Best Animated Film) with the stunning Spirited Away – the highest-grossing film in Japanese cinema history. Enter Pixar supremo John Lasseter (A Bug's Life, Toy Story, Cars, WALL-E). Lasseter, a huge Miyazaki fan, encouraged Walt Disney Pictures to acquire the rights to the film, and an English language version of the film ensured it reached a significantly larger, world-wide audience. And with Ponyo, he's done it again.

Five-year-old Sosuke (perfectly voiced by the youngest Jonas Brother, Frankie) lives in a house, high on a cliff near a small town by the sea. His mother Lisa (30 Rock's brilliant Tina Fey), works at the elderly citizens' home while his father Koichi (Matt Damon), spends days away from home working on a cargo ship. One morning, while Sosuke is playing on the rocky beach below his home, he rescues a goldfish who has become trapped in a jar. He names her Ponyo (divinely voiced by Miley's younger sister Noah Cyrus), and dutifully cares for her in a little green bucket. But Ponyo's guardian, the wicked sorcerer Fujimoto (Liam Neeson), wants her back – and what ensues is an epic battle of the elements, as Sosuke must prove his ability to love and care for the little goldfish/girl.

This visually dazzling animation adventure (with an English-language script guided by ET: The Extra-Terrestrial writer Melissa Mathison) will delight audiences of all ages. As he did with Spirited Away, Miyazaki proves again that he is one of the masters of writing mesmerising stories for children that are never condescending or patronising, and which don't dare to shy away from compelling themes – which in this case include pollution, the environment, mythology and family responsibilities.

The DVD includes the original Japanese language version (with English subtitles) and the English-language version, which also includes the voices of Cate Blanchett, Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin and Betty White (Rose in The Golden Girls). And while it's very poor on the additional special features front, you need not be concerned – because if ever there was a film guaranteed to have the young ones rushing to find their coloured pencils, then this is it.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspapers Group and was published in the print edition of the Midwest Times.