ponyo and write and direct by hayao miyazaki and be a little tale that speak of respect for the ocean and respect for human young and old and and respect for cultural difference . it be a new tale of a little goldfish wishing to be a girl and rather than a retelling of disney little mermaid . miyazaki have animate by hand and a whimsical and magical film for the young and the young at heart . the film begin with a slow undulating blue green palette of sea anemone and jellyfish and and score of little fanciful goldfish with childlike face . there isn not any need for narrative and the motion of the creature and the music of jo hisaiahi tell the beginning . release last summer in japan and ponyo win the japanese academy award for best animation film and best score ( jezebel . com ) . the fanciful little goldfish and brunhild and leave her ocean home on a jellyfish . upon reach the surface she be catch up in a fishing net full of other fish and garbage and and sludge . she be propel into a jar and which be roll to shore where five year old sosuke ( voice by frankie jonas ) retrieve it . he cut his hand when break the jar open to free the little goldfish . brunhild taste his blood and which heals sosuke cut and and put in motion her transformation to a human and at the same time throw nature out of balance . sosuke put the little goldfish in a green pail and name her ponyo ( noah cyrus ) and mean soft and jelly like . sosuke mother and lisa ( tina fey ) and let him take ponyo to school and which be right next door to the nursing home where she work . lisa crazy drive down the picturesque wind road and past a dry dock and through the bustling fishing town and and up a tree line road to the nursing home be representative of miyazaki wonderful sequence of action and illustrate perfectly a parent hectic morning . miyazaki have create another strong and independent and female character in lisa . make her a loving and sensible and modern mother both to sosuke and ponyo . lisa telephone conversation with the not come home again husband and kiochi ( matt damon ) because the ship he captain must make another run and be a typical wife reaction . later that even sosuke intercedes use a signal lamp to speak to his father a the ship pass the cliff their house sit on . lisa refuse to acknowledge kiochi apology and jump up and signal bug off and bug off and bug off and it be a hilarious scene . but and when sosuke take the signal lamp and tell his dad good luck and love you and lisa hug him and tell him he have a good heart and it be a very poignant scene . my personal favorite be miyazaki elderly and granny type woman in wheelchair at the nursing home and yochi ( betty white ) and noriko ( cloris leachman ) and toki ( lily tomlin ) . their interchange over sosuke little goldfish be wonderful and reminiscent of the bickering between the witch of the waste ( lauren bacall ) and sophie ( jean simmons ) a they trudge up a long flight of stair in howl move castle . ponyo magical sea god father and fujimoto ( liam neeson ) resemble the wizard howl arrive to take ponyo back to her ocean home . fujimoto use one of his elixir to try and put nature back in balance and but magical little ponyo escape again upset more elixir in the process and and cause a tsunami . run on the back of giant dolphin to get to sosuke and this redheaded and little girl remind the audience of the stubborn and adventurous little mei in my neighbor totoro . ponyo be just as adventurous and curious a mei . when fujimoto realize what ponyo have do he call for gran mamare ( kate blanchett ) and the goddess of the ocean and to help with the situation . this wise and calm goddess arrives in a blue flowing garment that never end . she have a private talk with lisa discuss the future of the young child and which help the audience understand sosuke and ponyo relationship be not that of lover and but of brother and sister . the life go on quiet simple end be typical of miyazaki film leave the audience full of hope .