Ponyo

About Ponyo

"Ponyo" is an enchanting anime movie released in 2008, written and directed by internationally renowned filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. The movie is a classic tale of friendship and love with an edge of magic. The story revolves around a goldfish named Ponyo who desires to be a human after befriending a boy named Sōsuke. She escapes from the undersea home she shares with her father, Fujimoto, and inadvertently gains the ability to become human. This disrupts the balance of nature, causing a tsunami and forcing Sōsuke and Ponyo to embark on a memorable adventure.

Making / Production

The movie was a production of Studio Ghibli, with Miyazaki serving as both the writer and director. It took over five years to complete due to Miyazaki's meticulous style. He preferred traditional hand-drawn animation, so most of the film was done using watercolors. This film stands out in Miyazaki's career as it is one of his most gorgeously animated and visually remarkable films to date.

Actors

• Yuria Nara played Ponyo: She gave life to the adventurous and innocent goldfish, maintaining the enchanting childlike demeanor throughout.
• Hiroki Doi portrayed Sōsuke: Hiroki delivered an extraordinary performance capturing the essence of the brave and caring boy, Sousuke.
• Joji Tokoro as Fujimoto: Joji excellently portrayed the complex sorcerer character battling between his love for his daughter and preserving the natural order.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The movie has been heavily inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's story "The Little Mermaid".
• Every single frame of the movie was hand drawn and there are approximately 170,000 frames in total.
• The character of Sōsuke was based on Miyazaki's own son, Goro Miyazaki.

Awards

"Ponyo" was awarded the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year and was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 82nd Academy Awards.

Quotes

• "I love you more than all the fish in the sea."
• "It's a fishy fish world."
• "When you're a fish, you can swim to freedom."

Music, Soundtrack

• "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea": Performed by Fujioka Fujimaki and Nozomi Ohashi, this remains the most iconic song of the movie.
• Score by Joe Hisaishi: Joe Hisaishi’s music set the ambient tone for the narrative, enhancing the film's emotions and action sequences.