10 Similarities Between Studio Ghibli's Ponyo and The Little Mermaid (2025)

Ponyois a beloved Studio Ghibli film that many fairy tales and Ghibli fans still love to this day. It's no surprise that there are stark similarities betweenPonyoandThe Little Mermaid, but there are more similarities to them than viewers think. Both films express the same grievances about breaking the restraints placed by their parents and taking a leap into the unknown.

For all the similaritiesPonyoandThe Little Mermaidhave, there are also slight differences that make each movie unique on its own. The similarities and slight differences are what make both movies a delight to watch, but seeing their similarities and connecting the dots shows how carefully curatedPonyo's story is.

10 Ponyo Originates From the Ocean

Ponyo Only Has a Loose Relation to the Human Realm, and Even Then That Has Been Long Gone

Much like Ariel fromThe Little Mermaid, Ponyo was originally meant to live, grow and prosper in the ocean. Her appearance matches her ancestral line, such as her bright coral-colored body, flippers and big round eyes. She doesn't have legs or arms, but has other limbs meant to enhance her swimming ability. Her legs are more similar to the limbs of a baby octopus.

Ponyo doesn't have any relation to the human world aside from her father, who was actually a human before turning into a wizard hybrid. He's only able to live as long as he has due to his dabbling in magic and creating a potion that extends his life. As for Ponyo's mother, she's a deity that is above all other lifeforms on Earth.

9 Ponyo Is a Descendant of a Mythical Being

Ponyo’s Mother Is an All-Powerful Goddess

Ponyo's mother is Granmamare, also known as the Goddess of Mercy and the Queen of the ocean. To humans, she's one of the strongest deities and one of the best non-human Studio Ghibli characters. Viewers first get to see her when she passes underneath a ship whose engine has died. After she passes under it, the engine revives back to life, saving Koichi and the other sailors.

In The Little Mermaid, Ariel is also a descendant of an all-powerful being. King Neptune is known to rule the ocean, and he also controls the lives of many sea creatures that dwell in his domain. Since their parents harbor strong magical powers, both Ariel and Ponyo also have impressive abilities that give them otherworldly power.

8 Ponyo Falls in Love With a Human Boy

Most of Ponyo’s Human Desires Come From Wanting To Be With Sosuke

Ponyo's desire to live on land stems from her love for the human world, but a large part of it is also because Ponyo loves Sosuke. They first meet when Ponyo is still in her fish form, stuck in a small jar. Sosuke mistakes her for a goldfish and saves her, and his act of kindness makes little Ponyo fall in love with him.

After taking a bit of his blood, Ponyo becomes bigger and more human-like. Initially, though, she looked more like a frog, but her features slowly developed to become human as the movie progressed. Ariel fromThe Little Mermaidalso decides to become human after she encounters her love interest Eric and saves him from a drowning ship.

7 Ponyo Magically Becomes a Human

Ponyo and Ariel Are Only Able To Become Human Through Magic

Magic is quite prominent in bothThe Little MermaidandPonyo. Magic resides in both Ariel and Ponyo, and it's also the thing that the two give up in their desire to remain human. InThe Little Mermaid, Ariel transforms into a human after coming into contact with Ursula, who performs a ritual on her. For Ponyo, she drinks human blood, which magically transforms her to have more human-like features.

Magic is important to both films, especially in terms of the antagonists in each film wielding it in a way to prevent the protagonists, Ariel and Ponyo, from achieving their goals. Fujimoto does his best to try and get Ponyo back, while Ursula ensures Ariel's failure by manipulating the ritual to herownfavor.

6 Ponyo Resembles a Mermaid

Ponyo’s Color Palette and Physical Appearance Closely Resembles Ariel

Ponyo's sea creature appearance closely resembles that of a mermaid, and with the many similarities toThe Little Mermaidthe moviePonyoalready has, it's safe to say that Ponyo's mermaid-like appearance is intentional. Like many mermaids inThe Little Mermaid, Ponyo and her siblings have a bright color palette. Most notably, their colors tend to be a bright coral shade. They also swim with fin-like structures that help them move faster in water.

There are similarities to Ponyo and Ariel. They are both quite naive and innocent about the human world, although Ponyo translates this well due to her young age. They have a fascination for what the human world has to offer and are stubborn, disobedient children to their parents, which gives them a feisty spirit.

5 Ponyo Is Willing To Give Up Her Old Life To Stay Human

Ponyo and Ariel Show No Issues in Changing Their Way of Life for Someone They Love

Ponyo is quick to jump ship when it comes to where she wants to live, and she makes the decisive decision with no hesitation, much to Fujimoto's horror. Her old life would've been filled with many wonderful experiences, especially since both her parents rule the sea, but Ponyo found that being with Sosuke brought her the greatest happiness.

Much like Ponyo, Ariel also had a flourishing future ahead of her that would've granted her plenty of good fortune, but Ariel found that her truest happiness was with Prince Eric, even if it meant giving up her old life and leaving behind her blood family.

4 Fujimoto Is Against Ponyo Being a Human

The Father Figures in Both Films Show Strong Disapproval Toward Human Society

Fujimoto is the main antagonist inPonyoand is avidly against Ponyo giving up her old life to live in human society. From the beginning, he tries to prevent Ponyo from going inland, though he fails. He tries to entrap Ponyo, but she's able to escape with the help of her sisters and during her escape, she meets Sosuke. Ponyo's stubbornness drives Fujimoto mad, especially when he loses the ability to keep her away from human society.

King Neptune inThe Little Mermaidalso showed his disdain for human society, since humans were the ones that killed the Queen. Ariel is known to have a fascination for human society long before meeting Eric—she had a whole cave filled with human trinkets that she loved to visit. After finding out about the cave, King Neptune destroys it, and also forbids Ariel from having any sort of association with human society.

3 Granmamare Is Mostly Absent From the Movie

The Mother Figures in Both Movies Aren’t as Present as the Father Figures

Granmamare is mostly absent from the movie, aside from two to three critical scenes in the film. She stands as the mother figure for Ponyo and is supportive of Ponyo's choices to do what she wants, despite Fujimoto's harsh disapproval. Granmamare doesn't seem to intervene too much, though she does talk to Fujimoto to try and ease his concerns about Ponyo living in the human world. She lets fate take its course and only intervenes when things become dire. The Queen inThe Little Mermaidis never shown in the movies and is only ever mentioned through word of mouth by other mermaids. Viewers are aware that the Queen died at the hands of cruel humans though, which is why King Neptune hates humans.

Both mother figures are quite absent in the movies, while the father figures are heavily involved and try to control their daughters. This creates an interesting dynamic between mothers versus fathers in the movies. In the same vein, Sosuke's father is the one absent while Lisa, who is Sosuke's mother, is the one who's most present. Ponyo finds comfort in the presence of Lisa and views her as a second mother since Granmamare isn't in Ponyo and her sister's lives often.

2 Ponyo Has Many Mermaid Siblings Who Her Endeavors

Ponyo Isn’t Alone and Has Plenty of Support From Her Sisters

Fortunately for Ponyo, her loved ones aren't completely against her desire to be free from the ocean. Ponyo has many siblings who support her journey in going inland, and they help her escape the clutches of Fujimoto when Ponyo first escapes. The sisters don't talk much and are much smaller than Ponyo, but they act as a great support unit for her.

InThe Little Mermaid, Ariel also has many sisters that she's close to, though they don't directly help Ariel escape to human lands. They do express their desire and concern for Ariel and some of them also share their fascination with the human world as well. Although Ariel feels alone in the mermaid realm, she can count on consulting her sisters for advice or telling them about her grievances that she has.

1 Ponyo Has a Fascination and Love for the Human World

Ponyo already had an interest in the human world before meeting Sosuke, though meeting Sosuke simply further heightened her desire to tread on dry land. Ponyo goes to great lengths to escape Fujimoto and tricks him to get out of entrapment. Ariel is even more obvious in her love for the human world, especially with her cave full of human trinkets and how far she goes to gain access to walk on dry land.

Their desire to live among humans is fueled by their love and affection for Sosuke and Eric, and as they continue to live on land, they learn to love other aspects that they could've never experienced if they hadn't taken that final leap to something new. Ponyo gains a new family to live her life with and Ariel finally finds the freedom that she never had living in the ocean.

Ponyo

G

Adventure

Comedy

A five-year-old boy develops a relationship with Ponyo, a young goldfish princess who longs to become a human after falling in love with him.

Director

Hayao Miyazaki

Release Date

July 19, 2008

Studio

Studio Ghibli

Cast

Tomoko Yamaguchi , Kazushige Nagashima , Yûki Amami , Yuria Nara , Matt Damon , Cate Blanchett , Liam Neeson , Hiroki Doi

Writers

Hayao Miyazaki

Runtime

101 minutes

Main Genre

Anime

Awards Won

Tokyo Anime Awards

Where to watch

HBO Max

Distributor(s)

Toho