Ponyo

With the reliance on CGI to fill our animated needs of late, February 2010 is certainly an old school month with Astro Boy, The Princess and the Frog, and Ponyo harking back to traditional techniques.

While messing about down by the shore one day, 5-year-old Sosuke (Frankie Jonas, younger brother of the Jonas Brothers) finds a little goldfish stuck in a jar and brings it home. This isn't no ordinary goldfish, though - this is Ponyo (Noah Cyrus, younger sister of Miley), a magical mermaid of sorts who is the daughter of an underwater wizard, Fujimoto (Neeson), a former human that keeps the ocean's balance of nature in check, and a sea goddess (Cate Blanchett). Falling in love with Sosuke (or is it that he feeds her ham, her favourite food?), Ponyo drinks a magic potion that turns her into a human girl. However, hateful of humans for what they are doing to his beloved sea, Fujimoto unleashes a typhoon in the hope of retrieving Ponyo...

The beautifully rendered opening sequence, where we see Fujimoto doing his underwater wizard thing, is as good as Ponyo gets... And unfortunately it doesn't get that good again. The plot, once it gets underway, is almost a disappointment and there is a certain yearning to return to that fun Yellow Submarine-esque intro; Miyazaki (Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away) throws as much imagination and colours at the screen during the opening he spoils the audience. Although Ponyo can't match the beginning for visuals, it certainly tops it for heart. From the moment Ponyo and Sosuke meet, this The Little Mermaid meets Splash romp is all about an innocent first love, and there's certainly plenty of the 'aw' factor going on here. Fun in a cute way it may be, but kids these days will expect more bang for their (parents') buck - apart from the typhoon sequence, there's little in the way of excitement.

Matt Damon voices Sosuke's absent father while Tina Fey plays his mother - the worst driver animation has seen.