“Ponyo” (G, 1 hr., 43 min.): Once again, happily, it’s time for families to check 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 United States —“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).

The film includes many seqences of gasp-inducing peril, fierce-looking creatures and threatening seas, but in truth, no one gets hurt and the whole thing passes like a dream.

“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.