**1: Ponyo**

The infinite cuteness.

Ponyo is my favorite film of 2009.

2009 was arguably the best movie year in the history of animated features (though 1999 has an argument to that), and Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo was the crowned jewel. And it now ranks as one of my all-time favorite films.

I have said it once and I’ll say it again, Ponyo is like a tapestry painted with the purity and innocents of a child’s imagination. Ponyo is that rarest of films that has me smiling just by the simple thought of it. And yes, during all of my screening’s of it, I smiled the whole way through. No other filmmaker can capture this childlike sense of wonder like Miyazaki.

And while Disney may have revived their traditional animation with The Princess and the Frog, Miyazaki never left it. In fact, Ponyo is the first 100% traditionally animated feature in years! And with these wonderful, hand-drawn images, Ponyo gives us visuals that are more beautiful than anything CGI could bring us (and yes, that includes Avatar). I stand by my claims that Ponyo may be the most visually stunning film ever made, with its only competition being some of Miyazaki’s other works.

And with it comes an unparalleled level of imagination (again, only rivaled by more Miyazaki). The imagery and wonder of Ponyo goes even beyond anything Walt Disney himself could dream of.

But where Ponyo’s greatest beauty lies is in its story and characters. Ponyo brings us some of Miyazaki’s most endearing characters with the likes of Sosuke and Ponyo herself, who, along with being utterly adorable, bring a wonderful sense of childlike innocents and wonder that you won’t find in other films. With Lisa we have a strong, motherly character (albeit bad driver) who proves to be another of Miyazaki’s strong female characters. And with Fujimoto we have a character who may seem like the film’s antagonist at first, but proves to be every bit as lovable as the rest of the cast.

A truly magical adventure that (unlike Avatar) is somehow even more beautiful in its story than it is with its unprecedented visuals. Ponyo is a genuinely poetic work of art.

My choice for the best movie of 2008 was The Dark Knight, the legendary super hero crime drama which delved into drastic moral dilemmas and was helmed by a most terrifying villain. For 2009, my favorite movie is one with no real villain,  no darkness and no trace of anything evil.

Ponyo proves to be a masterful film simply by telling a pure, innocent story though the eyes and imagination of children.

With its wonderful story, endearing characters, breathtaking animation and music, and unparalleled creativity, Ponyo has earned its title as my favorite film of 2009.