Film Name: 崖上的波妞 / Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea / Gake no ue no Ponyo / 崖の上のポニョ
When imagination and storytelling blend seamlessly, Hayao Miyazaki’s films become nothing short of heavenly: from “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” to “Princess Mononoke,” each feast for the imagination is underpinned by unparalleled narrative tension and emotional resonance, while heartfelt stories are draped in the unique splendor of animation. Yet starting with Spirited Away, this sense of paradise began to fade. While I personally believe Spirited Away represents the pinnacle of Miyazaki’s imaginative prowess, narratively, he began simplifying his storytelling—reducing plots to straightforward single-protagonist adventures, with the characterization of Haku feeling awkwardly inconsistent. Later, he adapted someone else’s story for “Howl’s Moving Castle,” but it clearly felt forced. Trying to cram such convoluted plot twists and complex relationships into two hours felt like asking an ant to carry an elephant. By the time “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” arrived, the flaws in storytelling were fully exposed. While it was previously revealed that Miyazaki now prioritizes sketching imaginative characters and landscapes before fitting plots around them—apparently to unleash his imagination completely—does this approach truly elevate the work as a cohesive whole? “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” stands as such a contradiction: while its imaginative power remains undeniably commendable, one cannot help but feel disappointed by its numerous narrative shortcomings.
I. The Imagination of “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea”
It must be acknowledged that the imagination Miyazaki infuses into his works remains at the pinnacle of global animated cinema. This raises a fundamental question: why incorporate such vast imagination? The answer lies in the very essence of animation as an art form. When discussing animation’s core nature, China’s veteran animation masters often emphasized one term—hypotheticality. This hypotheticality is, in essence, imagination. Animation is an art that brings life to objects inherently static. Their movement arises from the director’s vision of how they should move, realized through technical means. The most distinctive charm of animation lies in one word: “transformation.” It involves making immobile images, characters, and puppets move and change, exploring the possibilities between frames—a pursuit central to every animation director. American animation places greater emphasis on the variation of movement. However, this focus on action increasingly leans toward computer-simulated stunts rather than the humorous gimmicks seen in classics like “Tom and Jerry.” While stunts deliver impact, once you recognize them as such, they rarely surpass your imagination. Thus, though American animation offers strong visual impact, it often lacks imaginative scenes that linger in the mind. Hayao Miyazaki’s animations are not only hand-drawn technically, avoiding the coldness of CGI or special effects, but more importantly, he focuses on the comprehensive imagination of animated characters, scenes, and movements. This imagination often transcends viewers’ prior visual experiences, thus leaving an indelible mark on their memories. Moreover, Miyazaki’s imagination doesn’t unfold in a flat, linear manner. Instead, it surges like waves—one crest after another. If imagination were presented straightforwardly, it would feel flat and unremarkable. But when it emerges in waves, it achieves its greatest impact.
The opening of “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” plunges us into an underwater world teeming with fantastical creatures, where imaginative symbols surge forth, creating the film’s first imaginative climax. This mirrors the opening of “Howl’s Moving Castle,” where a peculiar castle emerges from the mist into the cityscape. This marks the first time Miyazaki has applied his imagination to marine life, granting him vast creative freedom. Previously, Miyazaki’s imaginative focus had been more on forests, wilderness, and towns. Ponyo makes her first appearance here, but a single goldfish would have made a far less powerful impression. Thus, Miyazaki introduced numerous tiny, human-faced goldfish, strategically filling the entire frame at key moments—a visual technique repeated throughout the film. This deliberate saturation of the screen transcends audience expectations and epitomizes Miyazaki’s signature imaginative style. When Sosuke encounters Ponyo trapped in a glass jar, Miyazaki returns to conventional storytelling. Yet this tranquility is abruptly shattered by a surge of bizarre, magical waves erupting from the sea. Though a minor disruption, its complete lack of foreshadowing makes it utterly unpredictable—a masterful effect.
Subsequently, the story progresses. On Sōsuke’s way to kindergarten, aside from Ponyo’s exaggerated ham-eating antics, nothing particularly noteworthy occurs. Yet Ponyo soon delivers another surprise: she speaks. Simultaneously, the sea wizard catches up to the kindergarten’s shoreline and uses magic to pull Ponyo back to the ocean depths. This segment stirs another small ripple of imagination.
The evening scene where Risa and Sosuke signal to their father aboard the cargo ship at sea depicts a relatively ordinary slice of life. Yet this tranquility is swiftly shattered by events unfolding in the wizard’s underwater lair. Ponyo sprouts legs, and the wizard struggles mightily to transform her back—a sequence once again filled with close-ups of the tiny goldfish. When Ponyo awakens after the wizard departs, ultimately breaking free and wreaking havoc in his dwelling, imagination explodes anew. A flood of animated symbols far beyond ordinary experience emerges. A tsunami approaches, and Miyazaki’s signature style shines through in this sequence. The opening scene in the nursing home remains grounded in everyday life, then, as Lisa brings Sosuke home, the waves transform into symbolic images of giant fish. Ponyo effortlessly runs atop their backs, chasing Sosuke—a sequence that dominates the screen. Accompanied by Joe Hisaishi’s stirring symphonic score, the film reaches its second imaginative climax.
As Ponyo and Sosuke reunite, this climax abruptly ends, followed by scenes of Ponyo’s daily life at Sosuke’s home. However, when Sosuke’s father’s boat breaks down at sea, Ponyo’s mother makes her first appearance as the dazzling, gigantic Sea Mother, stirring up a small commotion.
From Sosuke and Ponyo sailing aboard a model ship magically enlarged, to encountering a couple and giving their last food to their infant in swaddling clothes, to meeting a search-and-rescue team organized by villagers along the way—this maritime sequence elevates the audience’s imagination to a new level. The strange sea creatures and sunken cities no longer suffice to create waves on their own. After the final confrontation with the sorcerer, Sosuke passes his trial, arrives at the new ocean nursing home, reunites with Risa, and Ponyo’s mother once again casts her magic, transforming Ponyo into a human forever. It must be said that in this final segment, beyond the grandeur of the nursing home and the miraculous healing of the residents’ legs, Miyazaki introduces few truly novel imaginative elements. Even the recurring spectacle of countless tiny goldfish filling the screen fails to deliver the intended thrill. While the film’s climactic attempt to unleash a final surge of imagination falls slightly short, this minor disappointment does little to diminish the breathtaking, imaginative grandeur that defines the entire cinematic journey.
II. The Plot of “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea”
While “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” once again treated audiences to a visual feast of Miyazaki-style imagination, its narrative fell far short of meeting viewers’ expectations—a regrettable shortcoming.
First, the origins of the magician and Ponyo’s mother remain unclear. They appear to have been human in the past and may even have known Sosuke’s father (the magician remarked after rescuing Ponyo, “He truly is that man’s son,” indicating he knew Sosuke’s father). While this may seem inconsequential for a fairy tale, if their backgrounds are meant to connect to the film’s themes—the ocean, life, and love—then this lack of explanation only serves to confuse.
Second, the significance of Sosuke’s father remains ambiguous. While the scenes of nighttime secret-code exchanges between father and son convey familial warmth, their connection to Ponyo’s transformation from fish to human remains unclear. Moreover, the plot device of Sosuke’s father’s boat breaking down at sea only to be guided by the Sea Mother feels excessive if its sole purpose is to introduce Ponyo’s mother. What exactly is the purpose of Sosuke’s father and his boat in this film?
Thirdly, what exactly is the trial or test for Sosuke? The agreement between the wizard and Ponyo’s mother is that if Sosuke completes the trial, Ponyo will become human. But what is this trial for Sosuke? Is it merely taking Ponyo from home to the nursing home to find Risa? Throughout the journey, Sōsuke only faced minor challenges like candles going out or Ponyo reverting to her original form—hardly daunting trials. Could such tests truly demonstrate his resolve to protect Ponyo?
Moreover, the premise that failing the trial would unleash the moon’s catastrophic destruction upon Earth feels implausibly far-fetched. The symbolic meanings behind Ponyo’s three forms—goldfish, child, and intermediate state—also remain unclear. When Risa and Sosuke brave the tsunami to return home, only Sosuke can see Ponyo in the sea. Only through Sosuke’s perspective do the towering waves appear as giant fish. This mirrors a theme from “My Neighbor Totoro”—that only innocent children can perceive magical phenomena. Yet Risa later accepts Ponyo’s transformation into a human without question, and shows no surprise during her interactions with the Sea Mother at the underwater nursing home. This creates a noticeable inconsistency. When Ponyo sleeps at Sosuke’s house, the magician attempts to approach their home but is blocked by Ponyo’s barrier—though barriers are common in Japanese animation, it feels odd that Ponyo creates one here. Why would she set up a barrier? How could a truly innocent child have a barrier around them?
Despite various plot points that remain unexplained, unaddressed, or even contradictory, the story of “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” still manages to move us. What strikes me as most heartrending is Sosuke’s profound sorrow after Ponyo is taken away by the wizard. He stands guard on the cliff, gazing out at the sea, hoping to find the glass jar containing Ponyo in the same spot once more. Placing a green bucket on the railing, he tells Ponyo he’s right there. This longing for their reunion stirs a deep-seated hope for miracles, making us imagine Ponyo might truly resurface to meet Sosuke once more. Indeed, Miyazaki’s greatest achievement in this film lies in his meticulous portrayal of Sosuke’s every gesture and word. He presents a character who is both child and sailor—possessing a child’s compassion, empathy, and curiosity, yet embodying a man’s courage, determination, and responsibility. Unlike fellow Japanese director Makoto Shinkai, Miyazaki reveals character psychology through actions and dialogue, whereas Shinkai often relies on lengthy inner monologues. The difference lies in the nature of the portrayal: psychology conveyed through actions and speech is emotional, requiring the audience to experience it firsthand; direct inner monologues are rational, making audience reception passive. The former often yields a richer viewing experience.
The film’s conclusion is particularly meaningful, as Ponyo’s mother uses her “coming-of-age ceremony” and the weighty declaration “The world’s heart has been opened” to provide the perfect finishing touch to the entire work. Aligning with the theme of “What good is humanity?”, the film opens with extensive depictions of polluted seawater. The sorcerer also views eating ham as consuming human filth. Yet Ponyo still chooses to become human, precisely because of Sosuke’s pure affection. Though this sentiment may not yet be love, it demonstrates that humans possess love—the marital love between Lisa and Sosuke’s father; Everyone shows deep care for the elderly, embodying respect for elders; after the tsunami, Sosuke and Ponyo give food to a couple, who in turn gift candles to Sosuke, demonstrating human compassion; when Lisa first meets the wizard, she states pesticides are forbidden here, and Sosuke’s care for the little goldfish show that humans also possess love for nature. Thus, the mutual dependence between Ponyo and Sosuke becomes a key connecting nature and humanity, unlocking the world’s heart.
Another point worth noting is that while “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” centers on the young boy Sosuke, it remains richly infused with feminist themes. Risa’s blend of warmth and fierceness, the tenderness and kindness of the nursing home grandmothers, the immense magic and包容力 of the Sea Mother, and of course Ponyo’s innocence—all these facets of women’s radiant qualities shine brilliantly throughout the film.
When we revisit “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea,” we are exhilarated by the imagination that consistently defines Miyazaki’s work, moved by his earnest portrayal of the bond between humanity and nature, and, of course, left with a sense of regret over its narrative flaws. “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” is such a paradoxical entity. Yet I believe that as long as Miyazaki’s own dreams remain unchanged—his unwavering dedication to animation, his relentless pursuit of imagination, and his aspiration to use animation to explore themes of humanity, nature, life, and love—we have every reason to eagerly anticipate his next work.
For in the realm of animation, Hayao Miyazaki will forever be that white-haired young man!
Please specify：Anime Phone Cases » Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea 2008 Animation Film Review: Miyazaki on the Cliff?