Anyone seen Ponyo

[Patch66]

Was debating between Princess and Frog and Ponyo to take dd aged 4 to this weekend.

Seen some reviews of P&F that have put me off a bit. Anyone seen Ponyo?

Not seen Ponyo, but it will surely be lovely like all Studio Ghibli, it is supposedly based (?) on The Little Mermaid - Hans Christian Anderson's (not Disney btw).

I would prefer it, if you like Ghibli/Miyazaki.

I loved the princess and the frog. It's a bit like the jungle book, great music, but there are some scary voodoo shadow monster things (my DS aged 4 was fine but he's rarely scared, some 4yos might be). The plot was maybe slightly over his head but he enjoyed it all anyway.

Haven't seen Ponyo but I thought Spirited Away (also Ghibli) was the biggest pile of meaningless, non-sequitur-ridden tosh... though Ponyo does seem to be slightly more child-friendly judging by trailer.

I probably wouldn't take a four year old to see Spirited Away (though I did like it) unless I knew they liked the Ghibli films.

My dd and ds really loved Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service... well I won't bore you with the list because it does go on! So I think Ponyo might be in the Totoro bracket, i.e very cute! I am looking forward to seeing it at some point, and so is my dd (who is now 8 and has seen quite a few of these films).

My Dp is a mad ghibli fan, I will ask him when he wakes up I'm sure he has seen it. Tbh I was sceptical when he introduced me to ghibli but we all love totoro (me dp, dd,and ds1) and I loved spirited away, I haven't really seen many others tbh. I must do that actually, dp says grave of the fireflies is a sad one, and I do love a sad film.

Ponyo is just amazing.

Took dd 8 and ds 5 to see P&F last week, and we were all a bit lukewarm about it, but Ponyo blew them away (and me): it's one of the best children's films I've ever seen, and no baddies or truly scary bits (dd got nightmares from P&F vooodo bits even though it's a U) -- just two lots of goodies with rival interests.

Took my 4 year-old to see it yesterday - Thought there were some scary bits tbh (and she's seen Spited Away). Great to look at but the story is made-up-as-it-goes-along-tosh really. Still enjoyable. Want to live in the house on the hill

ah very sweet! definitely recommended above the disney stuff everyone watches!

We went to Ponyo and DD loved it. I found it rather more surreal than I expected but an enjoyable watch. This wss probably DD's third film at a cinema and the first one she sat still throughout. She did get a bit scared at one point with the huge waves / sea monster.

I had some issues with the mum's driving. Pretty erratic. She'd be slaughtered if she admitted to it on MN.

Said - DD and I both want to live in the house on the hill.

love love loved it
a bit more sickly sweet than normal ghibli but delightful

the 'sound' was amazing as well as the visual treat

i am amazed anyone hated spirited away.. i think it ranks as one of dp -mine and our 6 kids faves

all ghibli ROCK - worth having kids for

re the driving, i quite like how the adult characters are human. especially how fed up lisa became when her husband said he wouldn't be back.

Yes, I liked how Lisa was quite grumpy. Did she say "Shit" at one stage or did I magine that?

probably i thought she was going to get drunk too when she opened that can, i think she was just sleepy though

can't believe there was only ds and i and two others in the whole cinema to see this.

guess it isn't a match to that awful alvin film.

agree sea theatre was empty

RARELY if ever ( and i have been a mum over 17 years) have I felt such empathy for a mum in a kids film

I loved their portrayal of Lisa and instantly warmed to the film

I loved the bit when Lisa made them noodles. And the hot drink. So much fantastic texture to that film... made me realise what thin flimsy stuff most animations are made of. (Twas my first Miyazaki.)

That bit with the (commendably cheerful -- considering they were homeless) couple with the snotty baby in the boat was odd, though. What was going on there, do you think?

agree - the snot was odd

later i wondered if he had done that bit when pissed! Very Lewis carroll!

i thought the snotty baby was to show that ponyo could cure it and that's why she had no powers to make the candle bigger?

We've just seen it and DD, 6, and DS, 8, loved it. As we came out DS asked if we could get the DVD of it to see it again (Water Horse is the only movie he's ever asked that about!). So tell me more about Ghilbi films so we can see some more. DS is really drawn to cartoon animation and is forever drawing pictures like cartoons so would be keen to introduce him to more.

I laughed out loud when Mum called Dad a jerk, after he'd delivered the bad news about going out to sea again, and agree, she was characterised extremely well!

"So tell me more about Ghilbi films so we can see some more"

Laputa/Castle in the sky was on of the earlier ones. I loved it when I saw it first (I was about 8). It's a boy's adventure film (and tanked so badly that Miyazaki made his heroes heroines from that point onward). Lots of goodies, baddies, robots & high-altitude heroics.

I'd vetoed DS seeing Princess Mononoke until he's 10-12, and then PIL let him watch the end when he went over to see them. . Good film, but with too many traumatic amputations for younger viewers.

we LOVED it but surely i'm not the first person to think that surely the father is closely related to Barry Manilow?

Ponyo is brill. My 3.5 year old loved it.

Loved Ponyo, we saw it today at kids cinema club thing, my two had nbever been to a cinema before and adored it.