I watched the movie with a couple of my kids ages 11 and 7.  I found it on Netflix instant play and was curious.  We watched it on a lazy Sunday afternoon; I think someone may have been sick.  Anyway, the kids thought it was kind of weird probably because of the cultural differences although they did not realize this themselves.  They did kind of like it though.  I think I was the one who was most curious about the movie.  Yes, there are some odd parts in the movie.  I think mostly kids will not be into it or get it because of the cultural difference.  That’s all…
Oh yeah, I did think Ponyo was adorable.  Just my two cents.

My kids had mixed reactions to Ponyo when we watched it about a year ago. Interestingly, my youngest (then age 4) liked it the best, while the older two (6 and 8) thought it was kind of weird. I think you either have to be very young and just absorb the bright animation and sweet characters or old enough to “get it” on a deeper level.

But—we LOVED Kiki’s Delivery Service and My Neighbor Totoro (other G-rated Miyazaki films). My younger two kids get scared easily and can’t handle regular Disney fare so these were perfect alternatives. Highly recommend!

My husband has long appreciated Miyazaki films. All but our youngest daughter have seen them all. She (10-year-old) has not seen Princess Mononoke (and won’t for a little while). The kids love Totoro especially. One of their surprises at Disney was seeing the Totoro and cat bus stuffed animals in the Japanese store in Epcot!

Our kids saw Ponyo a couple years ago, so they were about 8 and 11. I can see that younger kids might not “get” it. But it is wonderful that there is something G-rated that a family can watch together.

My kids, ages 6, 3, and 16 months, LOVE “Ponyo.” I’m sure they don’t “get” the deeper meaning of many elements, but they love the characters of Ponyo and Souske, and all the oceanic scenes.

Interestingly, my youngest was only a few months old when we watched it originally, and she was fascinated by it. She gurgled and cooed at the screen the entire time, and even now if I play the Ponyo theme song on my iPod, or sing it to her, she will clap and laugh.

My six kids, ages 9-19 last year, were unequivocal and unanimous in thinking Ponyo was weird.  They didn’t think the story was that well done either.  Can’t really recommend it.

we love all films Miyazaki. Ponyo was loved in our house with 5 boys. we loved that there were no princess or love stories (the reason we limit Disney movies at our house)...our favorite Miyazaki film hands down is definitely My neighbor totoro….

My little ones (6, 5 and 3) have seen it. It went over the 3yo’s head completely, the 6yo was not impressed and it was too intense for my sensitive 5yo dd. She became very emotional near the end of the film and made me promise never to let her watch it again. I would guess, then, that it depends on your children.

Big Miyazaki fan here. We saw Ponyo in the theater with our 5 year old and we all enjoyed it. My personal favorite is Howl’s Moving Castle.

My kids 4 and 6 love Ponyo.  I don’t know if they get it or not, but they love it.

My girls, ages 2 and 4, were riveted almost beginning to end. I’m sure the themes went over their heads, but they could appreciate the friendship between the main characters. I recommend this and other Miyazaki films.

I haven’t seen ponyo yet, but we plan on having our kids watch japanese anime. My husband speaks Japanese and is just a huge japanophile in general. We have all seasons of sailor moon on DVD in japanese. ^^

We figure, as long as they are going to be watching cartoons, they might as well be exposed to another culture and language at the same time. Yeah, sometimes anime can be a bit risque (In japan, animation isn’t automatically equated with children like it is here) but we’re pretty knowledgeable about the genre so we know which titles the littles can watch.

I have to be honest. I had a hard time with the movie once I heard the mom call the dad a jerk. It’s the little things ... That, and the fact that my kids thought it was weird.

My five kids now aged 20 to 9 and my husband have seen and loved all the Miyazaki movies, though Ponyo was not their favorite.  They love the artistry of the films.  I am not into animation like they are, though I watch them with them because they are some of the few films that all of us can watch together.

My girls (7 and 11) and I love Ponyo and Kiki’s Delivery Service and Whisper of the Heart.  We all agree that the mother in Ponyo acts very irresponsibly—calling her husband a jerk, disobeying the road crew, and (most of all) leaving the children alone in the house.  Bad bad mama!  My husband has no patience for any of these movies so we try to watch them when he’s not home. 

My oldest 3 kiddos, 11, 10 and 6 all ADORE Ponyo!  They’ve watched it repeatedly, especially my 6 year old.

My 2 yo daughter loves Ponyo!  Personally, I love that there is breastfeeding talked about!  Of course, it makes zero sense that the mom would leave, but it’s a cartoon movie.  I’m quite sure that most children would realize that it’s not like real life.

We are are big Miyazaki fans here, too, but I have to admit that I grew into it.  Maybe I’ve just been living in Japan too long?  I don’t know. 

Totoro is hands down our favorite.  It has a beautiful picture of rural Japanese life that in many ways hasn’t changed much even now.  I often recommend it to homeschoolers that are studying Japan.  Now that some of my kids are getting older they enjoy sort of analyzing the other movies and looking for the message.  We happened to have watched Spirited Away just the other day, and my 13 year old daughter commented that she thinks Miyazaki has ” the mind of a child.”

One thing to note is that his movies have a very Shinto base to them that may come off as “weird” to people who are unfamiliar with Japanese culture.  We didn’t let our older kids watch some of his things when they were little, but have eased up on that with our younger kids.  We let them enjoy the visual feast when they’re little, then discuss the content with them as they are able to understand.

I am a huge Miyazaki fan!  I didn’t think my daughter would see anything other than Totoro until Ponyo arrived on the scene.  She won’t be seeing Spirited Away or Mononoke Hime until she’s much, much older (14/16-ish?).  Just too scary/confusing for such little ones.

My husband and I found a Ponyo picture book at the library, over a year ago, which my daughter LOVES for us to read to her.  So we decided to let my daughter (then 2) watch it one day when she was very sick with a sore throat.  She was 2 at the time.  The only part I was worried about was the ocean waves with eyes that turn into fish.  I was worried that it might scare her.  I was prepared to fast forward but it didn’t phase her (and it only lasted for a second)!  I was also worried about the part where the shipmates thank the “Goddess Mother”... I fast forwarded through that because I didn’t want her to be confused about deities (yet) until she can understand enough for a conversation with us.

She was riveted, from beginning to end.  She knows Sosuke, Lisa, Gran Mamare and Ponyo by name.  There are those Shinto elements of the goddess (Gran Mamare) and nature spirits but it totally went over my daughter’s head, she’s just too young to understand.  And when she gets older, we’ll be there to guide her in the orthodoxy of Catholic Tradition :p She just loves the sweetness and the relationship between Ponyo and Sosuke.  She received the Ponyo picture book as a gift for her birthday, and has us read it to her all the time (she just turned 3).

Weird?  I think the only reason people think it’s weird is because it is a movie made from the viewpoint of a different culture.  If one is not familiar with the themes of Japanese culture, it could be off-putting.  I think it’s important to watch these movies with them and explain the spiritual/religious differences portrayed in Japanese animations, instead of sheltering them from anything “non-Christian/Catholic”.

To date, it’s the only movie my daughter has seen.  I’m going to take her to see Winnie the Pooh when it comes out, for her first movie theater experience.

Sorry this comment is so disjointed.  Mommy-brain!

I’ll admit, I thought it was odd the first time I watched it, but my children 5 and 3 year old twins LOVE IT. now that I’ve watched it more than once, I can see part of the reasons why. The colors are soothing, and I enjoy the musical score. Ponyo is cute as a button, and my kids love watching her grow.