Ponyo Review – Unhealthy Messages for Boys and Girls
I just saw the film Ponyo – the one everyone is raving about for its animation, strong environmental message and feminist undertones. The reviews are right on the first two points. The animation is beautiful and the message about taking care of our oceans comes across loud and clear. It’s the feminist aspect that I disagree with. Vehemently.
I am no expert on the work of Hayao Miyazaki. I have heard that he imbues his films with very positive messages for females, and I will be watching two of his other films (Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke) as soon as I can get my hands on them. Based on his reputation, I held out high hopes for Ponyo, but found myself very disappointed. Not only is this film NOT feminist, it also sends some pretty negative messages to boys.
A quick setup. Ponyo, a fish, desires to become human after an encounter with a 5-year-old boy named Sosuke. When she eventually sprouts legs and arms and ventures off on her journey to find Sosuke (whom she loves in an innocent, childlike way), she unwittingly unleashes a massive tsunami on the village where he lives, and knocks Earth’s natural balance out of whack. The only way to restore that balance is through a test of Sosuke’s love for Ponyo. If it is real, she can stay human and everyone will live happily ever after, with the possible exception of the many fish who will continue to be bottom-trawled to death, as one of the earlier scenes so ably demonstrates.
Let’s get the good parts out of the way. The little boy in the film – Sosuke – is a wonderful character. He is sweet and caring and wise beyond his years. His compassion and sensitivity make him an exceptional role model for little boys. Ponyo is also fairly well drawn, in all senses of the word. She is strong and determined and she is not sexualized, as so many young girls in children’s films are.
Now let’s look at the problems with this film, at least as far as gender is concerned. We have three troublesome and all too familiar tropes at work here – a boy being separated from his mother to prove his “manhood”, a girl needing rescue by a boy, and this seemingly independent little girl having her future determined by others. Oh, and one more thing, the adult women are conventionally thin and pretty.
First, the mother/son separation. In the middle of the tsunami caused by Ponyo’s transformation – a vicious and frightening storm – Sosuke’s mother (Lisa) decides to leave him alone with Ponyo so she can go help the residents at the seniors’ centre where she works. Yes – she actually leaves her 5-year-old alone in a hilltop, oceanside home to fend for himself during the storm of the century. As she is departing amidst his tears and protests, she delivers a classic speech about him being the man of the house; that even though he is young, he can take care of himself and the fish out of water, Ponyo.
Would she have left a daughter alone like that, with similar puffery about being a woman and being ready for such responsibility? Doubtful. So poor little Sosuke – like so many male characters in fairy tales, myths and legends – is forced into a painful separation from his mother before he is emotionally ready, all so he can become “a man”. No time for “girlie” things like fear or crying – he needs to take charge. (The issue of being too close to Mommy is a particularly sensitive one for boys in the demographic targeted by this film and this scene will offer little comfort to them.)
And then there is Lisa’s appearance. Like pretty much every adult female character in children’s animation, she is beautiful and ridiculously thin. But she is nothing compared to Ponyo’s mother. This omnipotent ocean goddess is stunning. As one reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes notes, she looks like she was designed by Mattel.
My second and third points of criticism come toward the end of the film. Sosuke and Ponyo are on their way to search for Lisa – ignorant of the fact that she has made a deal with Ponyo’s parents to test Sosuke’s love. As they get closer, Ponyo starts to revert back into her fishy form and almost dies. Only Sosuke’s desperate dash for the water manages to save her. I guess this was part of the test, but why did the girl have to come so close to death? Could she not have stayed strong and helped Sosuke find his way to his mother?
After both children are reunited with their parents, Ocean Goddess decrees that Ponyo can stay human as long as Sosuke really loves her. (The scene struck me as very similar to an arranged marriage, but I digress.) So this rebellious little fish ultimately has no say in her future. If Sosuke loves her, it all works out. If he doesn’t love her, she will turn into seafoam. It all depends on him.
I will admit that some of these themes will be over the heads of the children in the audience. But by offering up many of the same gender stereotypes that North American films do, Ponyo reinforces some troubling ideas: boys need to be tough even when it hurts, girls cannot be heroes, and they certainly cannot determine their own future without the input of a man.
Sad, sad, sad.
Yes, either that or you’re an oversensitive, radical feminist who sees some notions of patriarchy in just about everything possible.
I cop to being oversensitive about how boys and men are portrayed in popular culture. Not so sure about the radical part. As for the patriarchy? I have been knee-deep in kids’ pop culture lately and my view may have been skewed somewhat by the time I got around to seeing Ponyo, but – let me tell you -the patriarchy is there in full force.
Fan, you say “radical feminist who sees…patriarchy” as though it were a bad thing.
Oh, and by the way, you might also want to consider the fact that Miyazaki has made films with extremely weak male characters since he’s a self-described former Marxist, staunch feminist and extreme liberal.
Interesting. As I said, I am no expert on Miyazaki, but I had heard that this film was very female-positive and found that it wasn’t so much. I’m not sure what the connection is between weak male characters and Marxism, feminism and liberalism. Since when does raising women up mean tearing men down? That’s not the brand of feminism and liberalism that I subscribe to. It’s about equality – not one sex replacing the other as the dominant one. Is that really what this filmmaker believes?
I agree, females are thin and pretty in this animation, and that is sad indeed. I also agree that Sosuke is put through a lot in the story, but there is more to his role and Ponyo’s character than suggested here.
In a way, Sosuke brings this whole adventure down upon himself when he decides to take the fish (Ponyo) out of the water. He is very young, and it might seem unfair, but he becomes responsible for the life he then carries around with himself in a little green bucket. Sosuke gives Ponyo a taste of human life and that is what eventually makes her want to become human herself. Sosuke has to bring her all the way to dry land, or else he abandons and hurts what he has befriended.
Also, Ponyo could be a symbol for the ocean itself. By proving his love for her, by taking care of her, Sosuke ‘seals the deal’ that will marry his destiny to hers. The image is simple yet effective: the ocean’s future depends on humanity.
And about Ponyo’s lack of true control over her own destiny in the movie, I think Miyazaki meant the end of his movie to prove the opposite. After all, she wanted to become human, and she did. Sosuke had to support her all the way to it, as he had to take responsibility for making her want this in the first place, but in the end, when he is distracted, she is the one who takes charge and grabs the kiss that will finally make her fully human.
I appreciate your perspective. I saw the symbolism of nature and humanity being united, but I think that notion would be lost on most kids watching the film. Since I have spent the past several months watching kids’ TV and movies, I tend to focus on the more literal messages that young kids will grasp most readily. To most kids, this will seem like a princess story – albeit one with a strong environmental message that they can all get their heads around.
Perhaps part of the problem is that this film is not really meant for young kids, despite the reviews. The deeper messages are beyond the comprehension of most young children, and they are left with the superficial aspects – a scary storm, a boy being left alone to find his manhood, and a girl seeking the love of a boy.
I have re-read my review of this film and I should apologize for the sarcasm and snarky tone. It was a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to a film that I was hoping to love but could not. That being said, there are good points about this film, as I mentioned. Sosuke is a rarity in children’s film because he is a caring and sensitive male character. And I was harsh in my judgment of the relationship between Ponyo and Sosuke. It begins with childhood innocence, and the fact that Ponyo nearly dies shows more of Sosuke’s natural tendency to be caring than it does a weakness in the female lead. However, I still think the messages are too subtle for young children and that the more obvious messages will be that of a girl being “saved” by the love of a boy.
I think all but one of your points are bogus.
first up, you’re right about the seafoam and love thing. I don’t think this movie has a theme, and that’s its problem. It doesn’t try to say anything. So the whole foam thing is just empty and that leaves a very bad feeling after watching the film. I think she only needs his life for the transformation. I don’t think her life is dependant on his constant love or anything. But why the love thing isn’t really explain and its weird.
Now the issue of the women being pretty, hardly, they are average. and they aren’t particularly thin either. They just aren’t obese, not to mention all the grannies in this film. half the speaking roles are grannies!
I also don’t think the leaving the kid alone was about him being a man or a boy. Mothers don’t think that way with five year olds. The child was safest there, the movie explained that. The mother wanted to make sure the grannies didn’t die, but taking the kid would have put him in possible danger. We also see that the boy was capable, and I don’t remember her saying anything about taking care of ponyo who had just become human anyway.
Also there’s no issue of the girl needing rescuing except when she’s a fish. He had no idea what was happending to her since that was towards the end, and he didn’t do anything to make her recover(the parents took care of that). That also negates the whole staying strong thing. Not to mention, staying strong for what? There was no peril or anything, it was the equivalent of a car ride. She was at worst, turning into a fish, and by the time she was, her father was already there.
I read other reviews and one guy disliked that ponyo needed her father’s permission to become human(which she didn’t), another was glad how in control of the men the women were, which isn’t a positive nor did it seem true.
Thanks for your feedback.
First, I take issue with your use of the word “bogus”. These are my opinions and I am entitled to them, however clumsily they are delivered.
I have admitted in a subsequent post that my review of this movie was too harsh and too much of a knee-jerk reaction. I guess I had read all the hype about this film and was seriously disappointed by it.
To address your points, yes I did overstate the appearance of Lisa—she is thin, but not skinny. As for Ponyo’s mother, I still say that she is rather Barbie-ish.
I disagree with your comment about “leaving the kid alone”. Lisa actually makes a statement about Sosuke being a man now. And leaving him alone in a house at the edge of a cliff is less dangerous than taking him with her? What about comforting the child and making sure he feels secure? Other reviewers noted that that scene could make young viewers uncomfortable. (Common Sense Media, who reviewed the film favourably, is one. http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/ponyo) I can attest to that, seeing as my son was far more upset by Lisa leaving than by anything else in the film.
How would a child interpret the message about “being a man”? That is my concern here. Boys are inundated with messaging in pop culture that tells them they need to be strong and independent from a young age; that being emotional or scared is not “manly”. Seeing that message delivered here was surprising and disappointing.
I agree with you on the point about the girl needing rescuing. I was way off base on that one and really seeing things that weren’t there. I missed the mark on that comment and I apologize.
As for reviews that note how the women were in control of the men, I agree that that is not a positive. As much as my Ponyo review sounded like feminist ranting, in no way do I think that the way forward for women is to insult or degrade men.
I will watch Ponyo again and revise my review, probably in a few weeks when I have more time.
In the meantime, I still maintain that this movie is not the best choice for young children. Even some adults didn’t get the message, as this quote from a Daily Mail review demonstrates (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-1250364/Ponyo-review-Pretty-plotless.html#ixzz0ylfeAcb4):
“There is much mumbo-jumbo about the need to keep nature in balance, but not much clue as to how this connects to the love of two five-year-olds from different species, or why the future of the world depends on their friendship.”
I will also note that I have since watched other Miyazaki films, including Spirited Away and Kiki’s Delivery Service. I found both of those much better than Ponyo. Spirited Away is excellent, although certainly not for young children—too many disturbing images. Kiki’s Delivery Service is also good and far more suited to young kids.
I believe the be a man comments are made in the English dub but are not part of the original Japanese (there are many issues like this in Ghibli movies particularly where the English dub completely alters the situation).
Thanks for the comment. It is good to know that some of this may have resulted from a North American translation.
Congratulations on a great post and discussion. I no longer have young children so I watched this movie without analyzing it the way you and others apparently have. Thanks for getting me thinking about it a bit more.
Thanks very much. It is amazing how different the interpretations of a “simple” film can be.
Had Ponyo been the one to decide the little boy’s fate, I doubt the alarm would have been sounded. All in all, she was a strong-willed little girl who dashed the consequences in the force of her innocent love. There were many times in the film where she helped the little boy – in turn, there were parts in the film where he helped her. For the resolution of the story arc, the scared feelings of being a lost child needed to be validated with some real fear – he was so fearless for himself, that if the girl was not placed in danger, he would have set his jaw and moved on selflessly. Someone needed to be placed in danger, and to completely rule out the girl as being the one to be places in peril, simply because of her gender to me is just as sexist as it’s opposite form.
The old ladies were not all thin, and very often the was they came off to the little boy could be reflected in their physical appearance. Many children with healthy relationships to their mother find their mothers beautiful – when a film is centered around animation, why shouldn’t this little boy’s love for his mother be expressed through beauty, the same as the love for the goddess that was the little girl’s mother? Sure, he could have added weight to the characters, but it wouldn’t have made a much of a visual statement when paired with their actions and personalities, and I feel it would have accomplished little.
Even then, you don’t really comment on what strong, independent forces the women were portrayed as in the film. I think the over-speculation against forces that are open-minded is poisonous towards open-minded art as a whole. A movie that you couldn’t pull one “sexist” scenario from, would have to be specifically calculated for such a thing, meaning each character was put into that role because of their sex, meaning it’s sexist.
It was a beautiful and strange movie that offered up a substitute to the sexualized reality of most media. Its message was to be good, strong, and loving and to believe in yourself. If I had a child of either gender I would be happy to let them bask in its glow, and would do so casually without over thinking who it may offend or who it might champion. It’s a beautiful child’s tale – a bit of fantasy that entertains and resonates with a deeper chord than any other animated movies I’ve come across lately happen to.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. As I’ve admitted in my other responses to this post, I kind of missed the mark on this review.
I guess I went into this film hearing so much about the wonderful female characters, the lovely story, and how child-friendly the film was, as compared to the director’s other films. But it failed to meet my expectations. I think it was not suitable for children, especially after seeing the reaction of my son. I also think the messages were too subtle to be understood by children. I much preferred his films Spirited Away and Kiki’s Delivery Service, although the former is also not suited to young children.
I have Ponyo on my list of films to watch again, based on critiques I’ve received about this post. I can’t promise when I will get to it, but I will view it again and add an addendum to this review, if I find something that changes my mind about the film.
I admit to being a bit puzzled by this movie, but my daughter, who is 10, loves it, and watches it again and again. She also loves “Spirited Away”, and “Howe’s Moving Castle” also by Miyazaki. She isn’t bothered by the conflicting imagery, but is instead captivated by the fantasy of being able to run on fish, or have a castle that moves. I watch these with her when I can, and I try to view it through a child’s eye.
Interesting. My son’s reaction may have subconsciously affected my opinion–he intensely disliked and was quite troubled by Ponyo. Since I found the images in Spirited Away troublesome, I have not let him watch it. I liked that film very much and I’m glad to hear your daughter liked it, but I think it is not the right one for my son–at least not yet.
“prove his “manhood”, a girl needing rescue by a boy, and this seemingly independent little girl having her future determined by others.”
” but why did the girl have to come so close to death? Could she not have stayed strong and helped Sosuke find his way to his mother?”
Watch Kiki’s Delivery Service… same thing, only the gender’s are swapped…
point being, the character in danger and the character doing the helping is independent of gender in Miyazaki films. Just so happens the one who has to save the day is the boy this time around. Kiki’s Delivery Service it was the girl who had to be independent and save the boy.
You are holding double standards… equality not good enough?
Ur nuts.
I almost didn’t post this comment because of your last remark. You can disagree with people without insulting them, in case you didn’t know. I’m not sure if you read the comments attached to this post, but I have admitted that I rushed to judgment on this film and wrote a poor review. For many months I have intended to watch the film again, but have not had a chance. I stand by my thoughts on the mother leaving Sosuke alone during storm, but I will revisit the talk about Ponyo and the idea of being rescued. It was off-base and I will add a revision to this review when I have a chance to watch the film again.
Yeah I agree… was pretty dumb of her mom to leave him there… meh. Still he was mature and small towns in Japan are insanely safe.
I’m just kinda sick of the double standards many feminists put forth. I believe in total equality, and equality means not expecting special treatment, affirmative action, or attacking any thing that shows a strong male.
Unfortunately this happens with a lot of formerly oppressed demographics, whether they be racial, social, regional or otherwise… People in the demographic that was oppressed over-compensate in their fight for rights and end up being the irrational/racist/sexist ones.
Sorry for calling you nuts, but if you jump to conclusions and become so defensive so readily;accusing things of persecution then you seriously need to re-evaluate your stance on the subject.
Being a part of the brony fandom (google it), I have seen my fair share of archaic gender persecution. Although this isn’t really something that affected my everyday life and I took as a grain of salt, the fandom took a stance how to ‘defend’ itself. Love, tolerate, and continue doing/being what you feel is right for yourself regardless of others. Don’t make preemptive attacks against people you think try to bring you down. But if they get in your way, don’t stop pushing forward and plow them over, because they can’t stop you if you are truly worth what you say you are.
It may take work, but it is a solution. Being the attacker only breeds more persecution. For example, the internal isolation the Jews did before WWII made them easy scapegoats. The Civil Rights movement was done right, using perseverance, but racism is getting worse now that many ethnic groups still feel like they have to fight to prove their worth when they otherwise would have had full equality in the eyes of the nation.
I’m a guy, I’m not a feminist, I am an equallist. Being a feminist is a compensating response against male dominance, but the goal is not to create a constantly conflicting equilibrium; it is to make a homogeneous universal equality.
tl;dr: jumping to conclusions and attacking anything you think might be positive to the “other side” means that you have made an enemy, and nothing can be resolved that way. Don’t attack, don’t even defend.. just plow through anything that tries to actually hurt your rights.
Too many cartoons with male main characters? Make one with girl main characters… who knows, you might create a massive movement of both genders supporting love, tolerance, and equality. Lauren Faust did it.
Thanks for your reply. I assure you I’m not trying to put forth double standards, although I know that this review makes it seem that I am. I had heard so many great things about this film and I just really didn’t like it. (I very much liked other films by the same director, but not this one.) I hadn’t had a blog for very long and was not in the habit of writing something then giving it sober second thought. I still occasionally make snap judgments, but try to take more time with things before I publish.
I did google “brony fandom.” I’ve heard from others who are fans of My Little Pony and I have yet to watch it, but it is on my list.
I appreciate your good advice and agree with your statement that “the goal is not to create a constantly conflicting equilibrium; it is to make a homogeneous universal equality.” That really is my goal. (Again, I know this post doesn’t support that aim.)
As a parent of boys, I am especially concerned that their needs not get lost in the shuffle when discussing gender stereotypes. So my perspective is not about females being the persecuted ones, but looking at the ways that gender bias affects people of both genders so we can all move towards equality.
I believe this movie is an adaptation of “The Little Mermaid”, the original fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson. So if any parts seem to be based on old fashioned fairy tale stereotypes, that’s probably because it is.