At 13, she’s permitted to accompany her taciturn father Pod into that house for the first time, on a quiet raid to get some supplies: a single sugar cube and a single tissue. Arrietty is a Borrower, a doll-sized girl whose equally teeny family lives inside the walls of a human family’s vast country house. It’s a hushed, drawn-out experience where the biggest action is a character stopping to gape. Those who dive in to Miyazaki's world will be rewarded with a humorous, touching fable that will leave young children wide-eyed, although possibly demanding ham (you'll see!).The most memorable moment in Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s Secret World of Arrietty, based on Mary Norton’s Borrower books, isn’t dynamic or explosive. Sosuke, on the other hand, is wise beyond his years, courageous, responsible, and loving. Ponyo is just like a real 5-year-old girl - in awe of the world, adventurous, hilarious. And there is, at the heart of the Ponyo (and every Miyazaki story), a hero's journey. Plus there's Sosuke's mom and the trio of women she tends to (Tokie Hidari/ Cloris Leachman, Tomoko Naraoka/ Betty White, and Kazuko Yoshiyuki/ Lily Tomlin) at a nursing home, who form a sort of chorus for the film. And, once again, Ponyo features several unmistakably strong female characters: Ponyo is quite literally a force of nature, and her mother the ocean queen (Yūki Amami/ Cate Blanchett) is even more powerful. This is a classic Miyazaki film, from the enchanting anime style to the recurring theme of humanity's relationship with nature. Finally, though the boy is told to kiss the bubble to make Ponyo a human, Ponyo herself initiates the kiss - she is clearly in charge of her own fate, both at the end and throughout the whole film. However, I have to disagree that it's sexist - in fact the father doesn't give her over - Ponyo's mother is the one to give consent and is all-around clearly the more powerful and influential person in the relationship. Is it weird that it ends in two five year old's having an almost faux-wedding? Yes. It's also particularly beautiful, even by Miyazaki's standards. I love that there are no evil characters and no violence (making it infinitely more appropriate than anything by Disney). But these fears were easily calmed by just pausing and talking about how it will all work out. There are scenes that were a little scary for our sensitive 3yo: the rainstorm scene was tense, he was a little worried about the boy's mom when the boy couldn't find her (we see she's fine a couple minutes later), and the dad is quirky and a little scary in his overbearing concern in the beginning. In the search for movies my husband and I actually enjoy watching that are also appropriate for our three year old, this is our second favorite after Totoro. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly The film champions the young heroes' demonstration of compassion, courage, curiosity, and empathy. Parents may be put off by the idea that two 5-year-old characters must at one point fend for themselves without supervision - but this is, after all, a fairy tale-like story. Some scenes in which parents and other characters seem to be missing might also be upsetting. There's little violence, although a few scenes during and after a climactic storm may disturb the youngest viewers. Strong female characters play a central role, including the titular Ponyo (voiced by Yuria Nara in the original version and Noah Lindsey Cyrus in the English dub) and Sosuke's (Hiroki Doi/ Frankie Jonas) mother Lisa (Tomoko Yamaguchi/ Tina Fey). Parents need to know that Ponyo, a stunning adventure from anime master Hayao Miyazaki, is one of his most kid-friendly films to date, with memorable characters and positive messages.
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