Hayao Miyazaki (2008), anime

Set in present day Japan in a seaside village, Ponyo, a delightful romp into the fairytale genre, focuses on humanity’s struggle to keep balanced their relationship with nature. It tells the story of Ponyo (Brunhilde), an adventurous fish princess living in the sea with her father the king (sorcerer) and her many sisters. Her curiosity about the human world drives her to an impromptu visit to the surface where she meets a five year old boy (Sosuke). Ponyo takes an instant liking to the wise beyond his years Sosuke and having all the magic of the sea at her disposal, decides she wants to turn into a little girl. However, in doing so, the mystical balance of the world is thrown off-kilter causing a tsunami and to make things right, help can only come from the greatest power in the ocean (Gran Mamare).

Superficially, Ponyo seems like a simple retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. The stories deviate, however, in plot sequence and themes. The Little Mermaid centers on the trials the mermaid must endure in order to obtain love and her sense of self through a myriad of self-sacrifice. Miyazaki’s Ponyo pivots around love, acceptance, happiness, harmony, and balance with no death or even a villain. Sosuke’s father is more an antagonist reminding the children of the need for balance between the mysterious and the mundance, between a child’s magical world and their world of responsibility.

In terms of the fairy tale genre, Ponyo gives teachers everything they would want in a fairy tale: exotic creatures, fantastical events, enchantment, royalty, and a hero's journey. Considering this genre is considered almost exclusively within the European province of Andersen and Grimm, Ponyo takes on the East Asia culture's flavor from it's motifs, its settings, and its depictions of its characters.