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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?
My Beautiful Girl, Mari is a story of two childhood friends, Nam-woo and Jun-ho, who are growing up in a fishing village full of unwanted change. With the discovery of a glowing marble, Nam-woo sometimes finds himself in a lush, dreamlike world, inhabited by a beautiful girl named Mari. With more change inevitable, Nam-woo and Jun-ho struggle to cope with reality, even when tragedy strikes.
Gorgeous kaliope of design and a vast storybook of watercolored backgrounds.
The story of both are magical tales that can be viewed by all. Family friendly, but still fun if your older as well.
Prepare for some wonderful stories from both. One is more dreamlike (Mari) and one is more environmental fantasy (Ponyo). Both are a treat.
In modern Japan, Tokyo is expanding and considerably reducing animals' habitats, including those of the tanuki (raccoon-like creatures). What humanity doesn't know, though, is that tanuki are intelligent creatures, that can talk and even walk on two legs with the power of transformations! To secure their survival, the two combating tanuki clans join forces against mankind in a war they dub 'Pom Poko'! Humans are a difficult adversary, though... can the tanuki open mankind's eyes to the beauty of nature, before their homes are replaced by yet another suburb?
A peculiar and cartoonish fantasy world interacts with the modern world, and does that fantasy world critique man's industrialisation? Pom Poko quite a bit; Ponyo references it but does not build on it as much. With their gorgeous Ghibli background art and fluid animation, both of these films are rather complimentary.
With the rise of the Iron Age in feudal Japan, man and nature grow increasingly at odds. As mankind infringes more and more into the kingdom of the beasts, many of the elder animal gods begin to succumb to their rage, cursing themselves as they lash out at rural and urban settlements alike. When a young Ashitaka, hero of his village, is imparted with one of these curses after slaying a crazed god, he forces himself into exile to prevent further harm to his village. As he ventures out into the world, however, he discovers just how dire the straights have become - with man and beast ready to break into all out war, his curse becomes the least of his problems. As both sides teeter dangerously on the side of outright slaughter of one another, Ashitaka sets his own problems aside and, using his charisma and honor, seeks to quell the hatred before it gets beyond repair - but will he be in time or is he simply delaying the inevitable?
Both of these films have a man-versus-environment theme, but while Mononoke has a rather serious tone Ponyo is much more simple and family friendly. Both are highly recommended and will be remembered by anyone who sees them.
Fire Children and the Children of the Water can never be together. Long ago, the God of Water and Goddess of Fire existed together as one entity, until the jealousy of the God of Wind drove a wedge into their relationship. They separated, and it became the law of the earth that their people must never see each other again. Now that the new heirs to the thrones are soon to be crowned, the Prince of the Sea is drawn to the ocean’s surface and meets the beautiful maiden that is the Princess of Fire. A fantastic love is formed between the two, but the flavor is bittersweet when all they can do is hide the fact that they have met. Love is powerful, but is theirs strong enough to withstand the will of the Gods?
Ponyo and Sirius no Densetsu are children's films about a land-dweller and a sea-dweller who just want to be together (romantically or otherwise), and the forces at work against them- namely one or both of their god-like parents.
There's a lot of shots of fish.
