Movie -- 2008 -- Netflix
Ponyo
A goldfish-girl named Ponyo washes up in a jar, befriends five-year-old Sosuke, and wants to become human. Her magic knocks the moon and tide out of balance. Bright and painterly, with a storm, a flooded town, and a small boat in weather that would be too much in real life.
Not suitable under 5; parental guidance to 8 (storm, flood); ok from 9.
- Not suitable
- Parental guidance
- Ok
GentleGuide scale for sensitive kids. Not an ACCM or Classification Board rating.
About this title
- Classification
- G
- Length
- 101 minutes
- Consumer advice
- Very mild in impact
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Before you press play
A splashy Studio Ghibli fairy tale: ham, buckets, and a house on a cliff. The weather is the load. Waves, a town underwater, and a boy steering a toy boat through a flood sit under the cute.
- A fish out of water
- Wanting to be human
- Storm and flood
- Mum driving through waves
- The moon pulling the tide
- A test of love
What may feel big
Ponyo trapped in a jar; being taken back under the sea; running on giant waves; ships in a typhoon; a car in surf; the moon too close; streets turned into ocean; underwater gods; a threat of turning into sea foam.
4-6. Four is below this scale. Five and six need a grown-up for the jar, the storm drive, and the flooded town. The colours are candy; the water is still a disaster picture.
7-9. A fair try with someone beside them. Pause for the tsunami stretch and the boat in the flood. Ponyo's joy can make the weather look safer than it feels.
10-12. They can hold a magic storm. The flood is still the HSP load -- houses half under, people cut off. Fine to skip the wall of water.
Triggers in this guide
Counts are how often that theme shows up in the notes -- not when it happens.
- Sadness 1
- Separation 1
- Scary Imagery 2
- Loud Noises 1
- Peril 4
- Relational Conflict 1