Ponyo Review and Parent Guide: A Christian Perspective on the Family-Friendly Studio Ghibli Film

In this Christian Ponyo review, we will discuss the film from a Christian lens, and provide a Ponyo parent guide.

Synopsis: What is Ponyo About?

In this reimagining of The Little Mermaid, a young boy named Sōsuke discovers an unusual fish stuck in a jar. He doesn’t hesitate to save her and cuts himself in the process. Thinking she’s a goldfish, he names her Ponyo, but soon discovers that she’s a magic fish.

After Ponyo tastes blood from Sōsuke’s cut, something bizarre happens: she turns into a human! Wanting to stay human forever, Ponyo wants to stay with Souske, but her father, Fujimoto, wants to stop her. With the balance of the world at risk, will Ponyo stay human, or is she destined to stay a magical fish forever?

Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo explores childhood love and dreams.

Ponyo Review: A Christian Perspective on the Studio Ghibli Film

What are some kid-friendly anime? is a question many parents and caregivers ask online, and Studio Ghibli is often one of the most popular answers. With some exceptions, Studio Ghibli has proven to create high quality animated films with interesting storylines that families may choose to watch together.

Recently, I’ve been trying to watch more Studio Ghibli films, and I’ve currently finished eleven films. Out of these eleven, Ponyo is absolutely one of the most family-friendly Studio Ghibli films, and one of the most family-friendly anime in general (another family-friendly anime is The Secret World of Arrietty, another Studio Ghibli film).

Ponyo was likely my first anime ever. I didn’t grow up on anime and I wasn’t a Ponyo fan when I first watched it. I wouldn’t consider myself one now, either. It’s a very cute movie but it’s somewhat bizarre.

In this Christian Ponyo review, I will explore the film from my perspective and point out some potential concerns parents may have when considering whether to show their children Ponyo.

This review will contain spoilers.

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The Voice Actors: Ponyo English Dub

The cast members are mainly celebrities. The use of a mainstream cast does help market the film to non-anime viewers, but I do feel like this causes a disconnect between anime and mainstream films. Sometimes, it works, and sometimes, it doesn’t.

For example, Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, and Betty White all play key characters in Ponyo, and although they all do a great job, it’s a little weird to have a celebrity voice in anime.

What do you think about the casting?

Ponyo Review: The Characters

Ponyo is not a super likable character in my opinion. She’s a bit annoying—her defiance of her father, her actions, and her childlike speech are a bit hard to enjoy.

I prefer Sōsuke—he’s kind, adorable, considerate, and extremely caring. He’s a very mature 5-year-old actually; his mother trusts him enough to leave him home alone (which is concerning, yes, but it reveals the level of maturity Sōsuke has).

Lisa is chaotic and takes risks. If a bridge isn’t safe to cross, she crosses it anyway. She leaves Sōsuke home alone (again, concerning) and gets annoyed when Koichi doesn’t come home.

Then we have Fujimoto, Ponyo’s father. Liam Neeson voices him (Aslan, anyone?) and he really cares about the ocean. He’s married to Granmamere, a goddess whom he doesn’t seem to live with. Their relational dynamic is a bit odd in my opinion, and they have many children who resemble Ponyo.

Ponyo Review: Childhood Love and Innocence

Fandom calls Ponyo Sōsuke’s “lover,” and I don’t agree with this term whatsoever. To suggest they are lovers is actually rather alarming. The connotation of lover commonly involves romance or even sexuality, and Sōsuke’s relationship with Ponyo is neither—it’s platonic.

Ponyo ends up adopted into Sōsuke’s family, thus becoming a part of his family. Also, Sōsuke is five. He’s in nursery school. He is not old enough to have a lover. They kiss, but it’s not sexual at all. Their love is familial, not romantic, and if it ever became romantic, there’d be the issue of them being siblings. So either way, the term lover doesn’t work.

But let’s talk about love in Ponyo, because love is what saves Ponyo. It’s not true, romantic love—it’s a pure love, the love a five year old has for someone he cares about.

When Ponyo’s parents talk about her future, they decide to allow Ponyo her wish, on one condition. Ponyo and Sōsuke’s love must be tested—if Sōsuke’s love is deemed unpure, Ponyo will be turned into sea foam. If, however, his love is found pure, she will become a permanent human.

Sōsuke’s love is pure, of course; he truly loves her. Not as a partner, of course, but as someone he cares about. Thus, Ponyo becomes a human.

Christ’s Love for Us: A Reminder from Ponyo

In Ponyo, love saves her from turning into sea foam. In fantasy stories, love always conquers all, and true love saves the world, but in our day to day lives, it’s hard to believe that love can be that powerful and impactful. However, in real life, God’s love and sacrifice saved us. God’s love was so immense and unfailing for us that He sent Christ, His Son, to earth to save us from our sin and to offer us eternal salvation.

John 3:16 (NIV) says:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God sent His Son to take on the sin of the world. We know from Romans 3:23 (NIV) that “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

We all mess up and do things we know we shouldn’t. God knew we’d make mistakes and mess up, and He wanted to help us. He loved us so much that He wanted to save us from the guilt, the shame, and the burden we carry because of our mistakes (sin).

Here’s an article to learn more.

Ponyo Review: Ponyo and The Little Mermaid

Ponyo is a Little Mermaid adaptation. It’s certainly not the Disney adaptation by any means, but it certainly parallels the original tale by Hans Christian Andersen, which is far darker and tragic than Disney’s tale.

One of the surprising parallels between Ponyo and Andersen’s The Little Mermaid is the looming possibility of turning into sea foam if they fail to find love. For Ponyo, Sōsuke merely has to claim his love for her. For the heroine of Andersen’s tale, however, she has to be married to the prince.

This potential fate is rather dark, especially for Ponyo, which is rated G; however, I’m not sure that children would understand what that means, and in the end, Ponyo gets her dream. The Little Mermaid’s fate is less certain by the end, but she also receives part of her dream. Of course, considering Ariel in Disney’s version nearly turned into a creepy sea creature, maybe sea foam isn’t the darkest fate.

Andersen’s Little Mermaid, and Disney’s Ariel, are both mute on land; Ponyo isn’t mute, but her speech is still limited. For Ponyo, one of her special phrases is “Ponyo loves Sōsuke,” a feeling that Sōsuke shares for Ponyo. Their love, however, is childlike and innocent, not a sign of romance.

Ponyo’s Defiance

Films have a tendency to reward characters for their defiance of authority, and Ponyo is no exception. She defies and disrespects her father. Although Ponyo’s father, Fujimoto, is semi-villainous, he does love and care about Ponyo. His character is problematic and he’s definitely not a perfect father, but considering he does care about Ponyo and the balance of the world, it’s reasonable to criticize Ponyo’s behavior, at least a little bit.

…Like the rest of her siblings, Ponyo does not seem to respect her father, nor care about his wishes, which is why she chose to run away from home. This is most likely because of Fujimoto’s overprotective behavior. (Source).

I’m not sure how old Ponyo is in fish years, but her actions and behavior (as well as her human appearance) suggest that she’s fairly young. She’s very defiant and disrespectful.

Biblically, we are called to obey our parents. Ponyo doesn’t do that. I’m not saying that Fujimoto was in the right, or that he made good decisions because he really didn’t, but Ponyo causes problems and chaos for her dad.

Ponyo Review: Adoption and Family Dynamics

This leads into the concept of adoption and family dynamics in Ponyo. We’ve discussed Ponyo’s problematic relationship with Fujimoto, but Sōsuke’s family is also chaotic in my opinion.

Throughout the entire film, Sōsuke’s father, Koichi, is at sea. He’s a sailor, and Lisa, Sōsuke’s mother, gets mad at him when he’s unable to come home as expected. She throws a bit of a temper tantrum, yet throughout all this, Sōsuke’s father remains loving and kind to his wife.

When Sōsuke and Lisa radio his ship, they mention that they’re with Ponyo. Here’s the weird thing—Koichi has never met Ponyo. He has no idea who she is, and they don’t take the time to explain—they just mention her name and leave it at that.

When Lisa and Sōsuke decide to keep Ponyo as a member of their family, Koichi isn’t included in the decision.

And this is a huge decision. They’re adopting a fish girl who turned into a human, which means Koichi will become Ponyo’s adoptive father.

This bothers me from a Christian perspective. Koichi and Lisa, as a married couple, are considered “one flesh” according to Genesis 2:24. Ephesians 5:23 (ESV) states:

For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

Adopting a child is a huge decision, and one that I don’t think Lisa shouldn’t have made on her own. This isn’t said to diminish Lisa or her role as the mother/wife, but it’s quite frankly not a decision to make on your own.

Magic in Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo

Unlike The Secret World of Arrietty, another family-friendly Studio Ghibli film, Ponyo doesn’t shy away from magical content. Ponyo is literally a magical fish who can heal wounds, enlarge a toy boat so it’s big enough for two children, and fix a generator. She can also create a protective barrier to keep unwelcome guests—like her father—out.

Magic is strictly limited to certain characters, like Ponyo and her father. Humans, like Sōsuke and his mother, Lisa, don’t have magical abilities, although the magic does affect them.

The strangest magical person is definitely Fujimoto, Ponyo’s father. “He is a talented potion maker, sorcerer, scientist and guardian of sea life.” Fujimoto cares about balance and desires to get Ponyo back, whom he calls Brünnhilde. But his magical powers are…weird, and he was once a human. Now he lives in the ocean and has many fish girl children with Granmamere, a goddess.

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Ponyo Review: FAQs

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Conclusion: Christian Ponyo Review

In our Christian Ponyo review, we discussed childhood romance, magic, family, and other key topics from Ponyo.

So, is Ponyo appropriate for kids? Ponyo is a child-friendly anime from a secular perspective. It’s rated G and although some moments might make very young children nervous, it’s a great option for family anime movie nights.

However, from a Christian perspective, Ponyo may not fit your family’s requirements as well as other Studio Ghibli films such as The Secret World of Arrietty. Ponyo contains quite a bit of magic, and the story is a bit more complicated in my personal opinion than Arrietty.

However, it’s a very cute film regardless and the only anime film I watched growing up.

Discernment is always key, and hopefully our Ponyo review helped you understand the content better.

What is your favorite family-friendly anime? Please feel free to comment your suggestions below, and let us know if we missed anything in our Ponyo review!

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Ponyo Review: Christian Parent Guide

Ponyo Review: Sex and Nudity in the Anime Film

• A woman’s back is partially visible.
• Ponyo pulls up her shirt, showing her belly and such a couple of times.
• A character explains that eating soup helps her feed her baby, so Ponyo gives her food.
• Ponyo and Sōsuke hold hands.
• Granmamere has some cleavage. 
• Ponyo and Sōsuke kiss. 

Ponyo Review: Language in the Anime Film

• Freakshow
• “So weird.”
• “Most boring goldfish.”
• Some name calling in captions. 
• Jerk
• Bug off spelled over and over again. 
• Cursed
• Wacko

Ponyo Review: Violence and Gore in the Anime Film

• Sōsuke cuts his hand and bleeds.
• Ponyo sprays a couple of people with water.

Ponyo Review: Frightening and Intense Scenes in the Anime Film

• Ponyo’s dad sends scary waves after Sōsuke and Ponyo on multiple occasions.
• Ponyo appears dead on a couple of occasions. 
• Lisa gets angry that her husband isn’t coming home (he has to work) and she starts slamming things.
• During a major storm, Lisa wants to cross a bridge that isn’t safe.
• This major storm causes havoc.
• Ponyo might turn into sea foam.
• Because of balance issues, everyone might end up underwater.

Ponyo Review: Substance Use/Abuse in the Anime Film

• Wine on the counter.
• An adult gets upset and grabs a beer.

Ponyo Review: Spirituality and Magic in the Anime Film

• Ponyo is a magic fish girl and performs magic throughout the film, including fixing a generator, putting up a spell/barrier, and enlarging a toy boat.
• Ponyo’s father is also magic. Her mother is also considered powerful.
• Ponyo licks Sōsuke’s cut (which heals it). Apparently, tasting human blood was what she needed to transform into a human (which happens).
• A character believes that “fish with faces who come out of the sea cause tsunamis.” This ends up happening.
• The captions mention destiny.
• Characters pray.
• Mention of good luck.
• Ponyo’s father asks her if she tasted blood (remember, this is what helps her turn into a human). 
• Mention of the ocean’s balance and balance of nature. 
• Ponyo’s father drinks potions. 
• Ponyo cannot keep both her magic and humanity—she can only have one.
• Ponyo’s father tries to fill a well to change the age of the ocean.
• A naval wizard appears.
• Lucky goldfish mentioned.
• A character believes that the lights are on because a young boy is there. 
• Abracadabra
• Mention of a “goddess of mercy.”
• Praying occurs.
• Mention of the ancient Devonian sea. 

Ponyo promotional poster courtesy of GKids Press Kit. All rights belong to their respective copyright owners. Under fair use for review, criticism, and commentary.