"Ponyo" (G, 1 hr., 43 min.)

Once again, happily, it's time for families to seek out a stunning and fantastical film by the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. Though Disney is distributing "Ponyo" on relatively few (800) screens to start, please scour movie listings to find it. As with previous Miyazaki films in the U.S. -- "Howl's Moving Castle" (PG, 2005), the sublime "Spirited Away" (PG, 2002) -- dialogue in "Ponyo" has been adapted into English and dubbed by American actors. Miyazaki, as always, refuses to condescend to his audience. "Ponyo" offers delights for most kids 6 and older, yet suggesting the right cutoff age for this film is tricky. Some kids under 8 may be spooked too much by seeing it on the big screen. It has surreal, scary scenes and tells a complex, at times confusing, story. And though "Ponyo" is a fantasy rendered with painterly color and sweep worthy of the best picture books and fairy tales, its 5-year-old hero faces danger that could scare little ones.

Based loosely on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid," "Ponyo" is the story of a little girl goldfish (with a very human face) who lives in the sea with her father, Fujimoto (voice of Liam Neeson), a wizard whose mission is to keep the sea in balance. He despises humankind (though he appears to be part human) for the pollution we pour into his waters. His daughter escapes (using a jellyfish for transport), washes up near a seaside town, gets caught up in a fishing net and then stuck in a jar. A kindhearted 5-year-old boy named Sosuke (Frankie Jonas, the Jonas Brothers' 8-year-old sib) finds the jar, frees the goldfish, puts her in a little pail of water and names her Ponyo. He's quite surprised when she gobbles the ham from his sandwich, licks his cut finger, spits water at a schoolmate and at the old women his mom (Tina Fey) cares for at a senior center. He's even more shocked when she starts to repeat words (Noah Cyrus, 9-year-old kid sis of Miley Cyrus, does Ponyo's voice).

Petrified that his daughter will become fully human and leave him forever, Fujimoto sends his magical army of fish (their big eyes coursing through the waves are unsettling) to get her back. Sosuke is very, very sad when she disappears, and with his ship captain father (Matt Damon) at sea, his mom has little time to do much about it. But Ponyo is determined to become a ittle girl, and return to Sosuke. In an amazing sequence, she runs on the backs of giant fish riding waves during a storm, right alongside the flooding coastal road where Sosuke and his mom are driving. It's at once harrowing and ravishing. Scenes in which the newly human girl tries to copy everything Sosuke does at home (how to eat noodles, for instance) are charming and funny. Finally, Ponyo's father and her sea goddess mother (Cate Blanchett) arrange a compromise for a happy ending but it requires little Sosuke to pass a test of love.

The film includes many seqences of gasp-inducing peril (Sosuke's mom is one scary driver), fierce-looking creatures and threatening seas, but in truth, no one gets hurt and the whole thing passes like a dream. One slightly angry phrase -- "Bug off!" -- is used a few times, and at one point, it appears Sosuke's mom may grab a can of beer to drink.

"Bandslam" (PG, 1 hr., 51 min.)

Rather like the recent "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" (PG-13, 2008), "Bandslam" celebrates teen individuality both in personality and in music. Director Todd Graff's approach is far more traditional, but he still gives the film a nice, if none-too-jagged edge and turns potential cliche into fresh ideas that ought to entertain discerning teens. The PG reflects a subtle but definite portrayal of teen depression and mild (for the rating) sexual innuendo, including some kissing. There's an amusing scene in which the protagonist, Will Burton (Gaelan Connell), is showering while his mom (Lisa Kudrow) sits on a closed toilet to try to talk to him. He yells "inappropriate!" from behind the solid shower curtain until she finally leaves. One character loses a parent and deals with grief. Students viciously tease Will about his absent father's long-ago drunk driving accident.

Will and his single mom move to New Jersey. A smart but reclusive kid with an encyclopedic knowledge of rock 'n' roll and a fine ear for quality, Will is shocked to discover that his new schoolmates take part in a big "bandslam" contest. He finds himself helping Charlotte (pop singer/actress Aly Michalka), the school's ultra-glam head cheerleader, with her band. He's also drawn to a decidedly un-cheerleaderish classmate, Sa5m (the "5" is silent), played by Vanessa Hudgens of the G-rated "High School Musical" series of TV and film. The cheerleader versus un-cheerleader themes are old, but the writing, acting and music feel new.

Beyond the Ratings Game: Movie Reviews for various ages

-- OK FOR MOST (BUT NOT ALL) KIDS 6 AND OLDER:

"Ponyo" G (NEW) -- This stunning fable by the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki ("Howl's Moving Castle," PG, 2005; "Spirited Away," PG, 2002) has English dialogue voiced by American actors and offers delights for most kids 6 and older. Miyazaki tells a complex story, however, and though "Ponyo" is a fantasy rendered with painterly color and sweep, its 5-year-old hero faces dangers that could scare some kids under 8. Based loosely on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid," it is the story of a little goldfish who lives in the sea with her father, Fujimoto (voice of Liam Neeson), a wizard who keeps the sea in balance against the pollution humanity pours into it. His daughter escapes, washes up near a seaside town, gets stuck in a jar, and is rescued by a kindhearted 5-year-old boy named Sosuke (Frankie Jonas, the Jonas Brothers' 8-year-old sib). He puts her in a little pail of water and names her Ponyo. She gobbles the ham from his sandwich, licks his cut finger, and spits water at the old women his mom (Tina Fey) cares for in a senior center. He's shocked when Ponyo starts to repeat words (Noah Cyrus, 9-year-old kid sis of Miley Cyrus, does Ponyo's voice). Petrified that his daughter will turn human, Fujimoto sends an army of fish (their big eyes in the waves are creepy) to get her back. Sosuke is crushed when she disappears, and with his dad (Matt Damon) away at sea, his mom has little time to cheer him up. Ponyo uses magic to become a real girl and returns to Sosuke, running on the backs of giant fish during a storm, alongside the coastal road where Sosuke and his mom are driving. It's a gasp-inducing sequence. Scenes in which the newly human Ponyo tries to copy everything Sosuke does are charming and funny. Ponyo's wizard father and sea goddess mother (Cate Blanchett) arrange a happy ending, but first Sosuke must pass a test of love. Despite all the peril, no one gets hurt and it all passes like a dream. One angry phrase, "Bug off!" is used, and Sosuke's mom appears to grab a can of beer to drink.

-- OK FOR KIDS 8 AND OLDER:

"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" PG -- Twenty-first-century slang and ageless slapstick still work in this third "Ice Age" feature. It's funny, but not Pixar-transcendent. The 3-D visuals pop a bit more, so kids may jump when an angry T. rex chases the heroes, or when a flesh-eating plant briefly swallows two of them. The old friends are here -- Manny the mammoth (voice of Ray Romano), his pregnant mate Ellie (Queen Latifah), Sid the Sloth (John Leguizamo) and Diego the saber-toothed tiger (Denis Leary). Sid finds three huge eggs that hatch into bumptious dinosaur babies. (They swallow other baby animals, but spit them up alive.) The dinos' mom arrives, grabbing Sid along with her babies. Sid's pals follow them to a tropical glade full of dinosaurs. Buck (Simon Pegg), a swashbuckling weasel, offers to defend them against the rampaging T. rex. Scampering in their wake is Scrat, the wordless squirrel-rat, this time tangling with a seductive female over that precious acorn. There's a creepy skeleton graveyard, occasional semi-crude humor, and mild sexual jokes (a butterfly "coming out;" turning "a T. rex into a T. rachel").

-- OK FOR KIDS 10 AND OLDER:

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" PG -- The saga of boy wizard Harry Potter remains fascinating in this handsome, if sunless film, based on the sixth book in J.K. Rowling's series. A kind of place-holder for the two-part finale, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," scheduled for 2010 and 2011, the movie has fewer action sequences, a lot of ruminative dialogue scenes, and assumes the audience's near-total knowledge of the books. The PG rating means the action sequences are less violent but the movie is iffy for children under 10. It has frightening images, as when the Death Eaters collapse a crowded London footbridge, and when skeletal beings swarm out of an underground lake to attack Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon). One character is cursed and dangerously flung about. Another appears to die of poisoning, but revives. There are broken noses and other wounds. As Harry and his friends are in their later teens, there is romantic longing and more sexual innuendo. Professor Dumbledore takes Harry to meet Professor Slughorn (Jim Broadbent), who knows secrets about the early Hogwarts years of Tom Riddle, who grew up to be the Dark Lord Voldemort. Harry suspects the bully Draco Malfoy is a secret Death Eater. Meanwhile, Harry is sweet on Ron Weasley's (Rupert Grint) sister Ginny (Bonnie Wright), and Hermione (Emma Watson) loves Ron, who favors Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave).

-- PG-13s OF VARYING INTENSITY, PLUS A PG MORE FOR TEENS:

"Bandslam" PG (NEW) -- "Bandslam" celebrates teen individuality both in personality and in music. It's still a traditional teen flick, but director/co-writer Todd Graff gives it a nice, if none-too-jagged edge and turns cliche into freshness in a way that should entertain discerning teens. The PG reflects a subtle but unmistakable portrayal of teen depression and mild sexual innuendo, including kissing. There's an amusing scene in which the protagonist, Will Burton (Gaelan Connell), is showering while his mom (Lisa Kudrow) sits on a closed toilet seat to talk to him. He yells "inappropriate!" from behind the shower curtain until she leaves. One character loses a parent and deals with grief. Students viciously tease Will about his absent father's long-ago drunk driving accident. A smart but reclusive kid recently moved to New Jersey, Will has an encyclopedic knowledge of rock 'n' roll and a good ear. His new schoolmates take part in a big "bandslam" garage band contest, and he's recruited by head cheerleader Charlotte (pop singer/actress Aly Michalka) to help improve her band. He's also drawn to a very un-cheerleaderish classmate, Sa5m (the 5 is silent), played by Vanessa Hudgens of the G-rated "High School Musical" series on TV and film. The cheerleader versus un-cheerleader themes are old, but the writing, acting and music feel new.

"Julie & Julia" -- With its focus on adults lives and French cuisine, "Julie & Julia" will appeal to older palates. Still, a sizable minority of high-schoolers may savor the colorful characters, smart dialogue and gorgeously prepared dishes. Telling parallel stories, the film is based on Julie Powell's book and blog about how in 2002 she challenged herself to make all 524 recipes in Julia Child's cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," and on Child's autobiographical "My Life in France." The modern half of the film is a genial fable with the immensely likable Amy Adams as the confidence-challenged Julie and Chris Messina as her goodnatured husband. But the main dish is Child's life in Paris as a diplomat's wife after World War II, when she learned French cooking and, with husband Paul's (Stanley Tucci) support, published the cookbook (with Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck) and eventually launched her pioneering TV show. Meryl Streep is wondrous as an idealized, funny and gung-ho Julia Child. Writer/director Nora Ephron's celebratory film floats gracefully between mid-20th century Europe and frenetic 21st-century Queens. Not so much for middle-schoolers, the movie has a few strongly implied but nongraphic marital sexual situations and mild sexual innuendo. There is heavy smoking, drinking and tipsiness. The script has rare but occasionally strong profanity, and there is a reference to suicide.

"(500) Days of Summer" (LIMITED RELEASE) -- A genuinely fresh indie romantic comedy like "(500) Days of Summer" ought to charm discerning high-schoolers. Aside from a hip, altie-rock soundtrack, the movie stays away from easy pop-culture references. It was shot in old Los Angeles, which gives it a timeless look. Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) wants to be a writer, but toils at a greeting card company instead. His story unfolds in a mix of flashbacks, tracing the 500 days that elapse between his falling for the boss' new secretary, Summer (Zooey Deschanel), how she broke up with him, and how he eventually got over it. Tom confides his longing and pain to his friends (Geoffrey Arend and Matthew Gray Gubler), who become a kind of Greek chorus. The film has profanity, crude sexual slang and innuendo, verbal references to porn, several implied sexual situations, and drinking due to depression. Not for middle-schoolers.