The 2008 Studio Ghibli film Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ) will play at Pittsburgh-area Cinemark theaters on March 25, 26, and 28 as the first installment of this year's GKIDS Ghibli Fest. A 2009 Roger Ebert review introduces the film, which was the highest-grossing movie in Japan in 2008:
There is a word to describe “Ponyo,” and that word is magical. This poetic, visually breathtaking work by the greatest of all animators has such deep charm that adults and children will both be touched. It’s wonderful and never even seems to try: It unfolds fantastically.The English-dubbed version will play on the 25th and 28th, and the English-subtitled version on the 26th; both versions will play at the Cinemark theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, North Hills, Pittsburgh Mills, and Robinson. (On the Cinemark site linked above, enter your zip code to find ticket information.)
The G-rated feature tells a story both simple and profound. Sosuke, a 5-year-old who lives in a house on a seaside cliff, finds a goldfish trapped in a jar on the beach. This is Ponyo. Freeing her, he is rewarded by a lick on a finger that heals a cut. And by tasting human blood, we learn, Ponyo gains the ability to transform between fish and human.
