close
You've Earned Badges!
you have earned more badges → see all badges
don't want a popup? edit settings here
view your badges any time in your profile
Ponyo is a goldfish who lives in the sea, and has an over-protective magician for a father. Soon Ponyo runs away from home and is rescued by a five-year-old boy named Sosuke. As she wants nothing more than to understand what it's like to be a human being, Ponyo uses magic to transform into a human girl, and the two begin to form a special bond. However, this magic results in drastic consequences, and one final test stands in Ponyo's way before she can truly be human. Can Ponyo fulfill her dream, or is she destined to return to the sea?
click the 
button above
Satsuki, her younger sister Mei and their father have just moved to their new home in the countryside, where grand adventures await them. One day while playing outside in the garden Mei encounters a small creature and decides to follow it. After chasing it through the bushes Mei eventually finds herself at the base of a large Camphor tree and as she drops through a hole in its roots, she lands on the stomach of a large, sleeping forest spirit named Totoro. The two sisters befriend the gentle spirit and are soon introduced to a world more fantastical than they could ever imagine, from playing with soot spirits to meeting a Catbus, to flying through the air and even making the trees grow. However when Mei disappears, Satsuki must call on the help of her new friends if she wants any hope of being able to find her sister...
Ponyo and Totoro are the sweetest Ghibli films, occasionally to the point of being cloying. They follow the largely innane adventures of two very young children in a world that on some level resembles our own, but is at the same time seamlessly magical.
Catbusses and Prehistoric fish have never been filled with more imagination. To compliment the wonder and awe of these sequences, the films are grounded by genuine portrayals of young children, emotional fragility, forthright innoncence, rampant curiousity and all.
These two movies are Miyazaki's movies that are most squarely in the "children's movie" arena, and thus have the most simple stories. This isn't necessarily a bad thing--both are wonderful films, filled with gorgeous visuals, Ghibli charm and Miyazaki's strengths as a director. In particular, if a kid you know likes one movie, the other will probably be really enjoyable to them, too.
My Neighbour Totoro and Ponyo are the two Ghiblis primarily aimed at young children. Apart from sharing stylistic elements, both being Miyazaki work, they both try to provoke a sense of wonder in the audience, and exude charm. In both, the animation is superb, and although Ponyo's is (stylistically) less detailed, the two share the assiduous attention to detail characteristic of Miyazaki.
At one point in Ponyo, the mother sings a piece from Totoro's opening theme. It struck me that the mother may have well grown up with that film, but more obviously it was a connection between the this and the film Ponyo most strikingly resembles in Miyazaki's work. Both are charming, innocent, wonderful films about exuberant curiosity imagination of the young. Their plucky and memorable young girls are rather likeable characters, and the chidlike fantasies and creatures conjoured up are incredibly inventive. If searching for another film of this ilk, you can't do better than this.
Ponyo and Totoro are basically the same thing. Small children have various adventures in their small town. They're each pretty slow, and beloved by everyone but me. The creatures in each are what save the movies. Totoro, the Catbus(^_^), and the various fishes are awesome and charming. If you liked one, you'd definitely like the other.
If you adore Miyazaki's fantastical and child-like films then you will like both My Neighbour Totoro and Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. Both are incredibly charming stories with adorable lead characters and a nice sense of escapism in the real world. Both are well worth a look, particularly if you like the Studio Ghibli works.
There is nothing quite like the charm of a simple Ghibli film, and if that is what you are looking for then look no further. These two movies, Totoro and Ponyo, are simple, relaxing, viewable at any age and are beautiful to both watch and listen to. Both of these movies have a simple, family themed storyline and have no real villan, and both by the end leave you refreshed and you will likely return to each again some time in the future.
These are two really beautiful films, which revolve around a simple and compelling story. They both have a little girl (around 4 - 5 years old), who has to endure a certain ordeal to finally have her happy ending. There is also the magic element in both films and some drama, though you always have the feeling that things will definitely work out in the end. If you liked one of these movies, you will certainly like the other one. They are both heart-warming stories which will leave a smile on your face.
Chihiro and her family are on their way to their new home, when they discover an abandoned amusement park. After Chihiro's family mysteriously turn into pigs, she is thrown into a surreal world of magic and fantasy. Join her as she struggles to survive in the bathhouse of the gods, ruled by an evil witch who has stolen not only her name, but her way back to the real world.
Both very cute and imaginative films with loveable characters and amazing scenery. If you liked one, youll definately like the other :)
The stories here are basicly opposites. While Spirited Away is an "Alice in Wonderland"-like tale, Ponyo is about magi erupting into out, ordinary world. But the magical wonders in both features are filled with similar amazing powers of creativity. Not to mention they both center around a cild protagonist.
If your imagination took you into autopilot with Ponyo, it will be out of control with Spirited Away. One of the few I call a masterpeice and a complete get away from the world your in for the length of the movie. The most creative and well crafted anime of all time.
I think that one would like both movies not only because of the work of Studio Ghibli, but because both movies focus on family. They are extremely cute movies, full of excellent imaginative scenes. Great for the family, or for anyone who likes a good fantasy!
Kiki is a young witch who has just turned thirteen, and as tradition dictates she must now leave the safety of her home for a year to undergo witch training. One clear night, Kiki takes off with her cat Jiji and her mother's broomstick to start her new life, and finds herself in a town near the ocean - but she's disappointed to find that people aren't nearly as friendly as she'd imagined they'd be. With nowhere to stay and no outstanding magical skills besides flying, Kiki begins to wonder if she's come to the right place; but after returning a pacifier to a customer of a local shop, its owner, Osono, offers her a place to stay. Kiki soon decides that she'll start her own delivery service, and with the help of newfound friends she sets forth on a journey to discover who she is and how to make it on her own.
Both of these are among Miyazaki's more charming and innocent films, with comparatively little drama. Each also have a little girl gifted with magical powers, which play a key role in how the plot - such as it is - chooses to unfold.
Ponyo on the cliff by the sea and kiki's flying delivery service are both studio ghibli's with a simple story and stunning visuals. If you liked one of these, chances are you're gonna like the other one too.
Many centuries into the future, humans live as part of the Fractale system, a computer program that moderates their activity to ensure a free and peaceful existence. But while life is indeed comfortable, the cost of growing up in virtual reality communities filled with holographic people called 'doppels' means that it can also get lonely. For Clain living estranged from his parents, adventure finally knocks when he rescues a mysterious girl called Phryne, who appears to be on the run. She spends only a short time with him before hurriedly moving on but leaves behind an unexpected gift: the curious and frustratingly whimsical doppel called Nessa! As Clain learns to adjust to his new friend and survive the scrapes she gets him into, he discovers that she and Phryne are at the heart of a great conspiracy. If he is ever to gain a sense of purpose, Clain will have to leave his comfortable existence and challenge the only thing he has ever known, the Fractale system itself.
Ponyo and Fractale seem very similar to me. Maybe it is the overwhelming joyfulness of Nessa and Ponyo or the similarity in the themes, but I am confident that if you enjoyed one of these you will like the other.
In ancient China, a supernatural, powerful storm transforms a magical white serpent into a beautiful maiden named Bai-Niang. She is drawn to the music of Xu-Xian, a young man who befriended her as a child, while she was still in her serpentine form. Having been the best of friends in the past, the two quickly fall in love and are happy to be together. However, the townsfolk distrust Bai-Niang and the lovers are torn apart once more. Will Bai-Niang and Xu-Xian ever be able to be together?
It is said that Miyazaki decided to pursue animation after watching Hakujaden. The influence it had on him really shows in Ponyo. Both movies share the same underlying theme: a love story between a boy and a girl. More specifically, in Hakujaden it's a girl who's also a snake spirit and in Ponyo she's a goldfish. They also have very similar scenes contaning elements of magic, water and fishes.
