Love between two five-year-olds can be a tricky thing. Add to the scenario one of them being a goldfish and you’ve got some complicated hurdles to cross. Hayao Miyazaki’s legendary hand-drawn anime goes aquatic in Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea, a tale of fish becoming a girl and love conquering all, again. Speaking of love, that’s what we have for Miyazaki and his unbridled imagination / jaw-dropping technical skill. We also love him for always having super kawaii but fiercely strong-willed female protagonists, and eccentric, morally ambiguous bad guys who have really cool dress sense (à la the big glam-rock locks, striped blazers with cravats and amazing costume jewellery of Fujimoto in Ponyo) …
The English version features voice talent from the likes of Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey and Frankie Jonas, but we recommend seeing it in the original Japanese with subtitles, for purity’s sake. Both versions are released in Australia on August 27.