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Gake no ue no Ponyo
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Gake no ue no Ponyo (2008) More at IMDbPro »

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Gake no ue no Ponyo (2008) -- The story of a young and overeager goldfish named Ponyo and her quest to become human.

Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   2,574 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Hayao Miyazaki
Writers:
Hayao Miyazaki (written by) and
Melissa Mathison (story)
Contact:
View company contact information for Ponyo on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 July 2008 (Japan) more
Tagline:
Welcome To A World Where Anything Is Possible.
Plot:
An animated adventure centered on a 5-year-old boy and his relationship with a goldfish princess who longs to become human. | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
6 wins & 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(47 articles)
Comic Con 2009: Full Friday Schedule Announced
 (From Aceshowbiz. 10 July 2009, 7:58 PM, PDT)

Disney Announces Comic-Con Agenda in 3D!
 (From The Flickcast. 9 July 2009, 4:00 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
A Nutshell Review: Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Yuria Nara ... Ponyo (voice)
Hiroki Doi ... Sosuke (voice)
Jôji Tokoro ... Fujimoto (voice)
Tomoko Yamaguchi ... Risa (voice)
Yuki Amami ... Guranmamare (voice)
Kazushige Nagashima ... Kôichi (voice)
Akiko Yano ... Ponyo no kyôdai (voice)
Shinichi Hatori ... Anchorman (voice)
Tokie Hidari ... Kayo (voice)
Eimi Hiraoka ... Kumiko (voice)
Rumi Hîragi ... Young Mother (voice)
Tomoko Naraoka ... Yoshie (voice)
Nozomi Ohashi ... Karen (voice)
Kazuko Yoshiyuki ... Toki (voice)
Noah Lindsey Cyrus ... Ponyo (voice: English version) (as Noah Cyrus)
more
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Ponyo (USA)
Ponyo on the Cliff (International: English title) (literal English title)
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (International: English title)
Untitled Hayao Miyazaki Project (International: English title) (working title)
more
Runtime:
100 min
Country:
Japan
Language:
Japanese
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Certification:
South Korea:All | Hong Kong:I | Singapore:G | Taiwan:GP | Switzerland:0 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:0 (canton of Geneva) | Netherlands:AL | Belgium:KT | USA:G (certificate #45429)
Company:
Studio Ghibli more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Sousuke's father works aboard a ship named the Koganei Maru. Koganei is the town in Western Tokyo where Studio Ghibli is located. more
Movie Connections:
References Tonari no Totoro (1988) more
Soundtrack:
Umi no o-kaasan more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
9 out of 11 people found the following comment useful:-
A Nutshell Review: Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, 25 December 2008
10/10
Author: DICK STEEL from Singapore

Hayao Miyazaki's magic continues with this absolute crowd pleaser Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, his latest animated film, which turns on the usual sweetness to charm your socks off. I thought that the trailer featured its song which was quietly hypnotic, and I didn't have to wait for an invite to make sure I got my ticket for the sneak preview of the movie, scheduled to open here next week.

For fans of Studio Ghibli films, you'll probably know what you're in for, as Miyazaki has yet another winner in his filmography, that will win new fans over. I'm embarrassed to say the least that I've so far watched only My Neighbour Totoro (eyes that pile of Ghibli DVDs) and love it to bits, but I guess this would serve as a final push for me not to continue missing what would likely be animated films that I would enjoy.

Ponyo (voiced by Nara Yuria) is a magic goldfish that yearns to know what is life beyond the sea, with her constant forays in a bubble to the surface of the water to sneak a peek. Nonetheless these ambitions do not bode well with her humanoid dad Fujimoto (Tokoro Joji), who harbours some hatred toward the human race for pollution, and briefly touching a subplot on environmental protection / revenge by Mother Nature as well. An accident one day sees Ponyo being washed ashore, and picked up by five year old boy Sosuke (Doi Hiroki) who lives on a house on the said cliff with his mother Lisa (Yamaguchi Tomoko), while dad Koichi (Nagashima Kazushige) is mostly out to sea since he's a sailor. And you can expect some moments of throwback to the likes of The Little Mermaid, or Splash made for kids. Saying anything more would be to spoil the fun.

The artwork here is still simply astounding even though it's in 2D glory, knowing that each cell is painstakingly worked on. There are so many things going on at the same time within the same frame, that you'll probably be game for repeated viewings just to spot them all. This definitely beats any 3D or CG animated production any day given its beauty coming from its simplicity, and not only from the artwork department, but on its story too, despite complaints coming in that it took a leaf from the Hans Christian Andersen classic. While there are avenues to make this film extremely dark, it only suggested certain dark themes, but opted instead for a film with more positive emotions, suitable for both kids and adults alike.

At its core, its about love, that between the family members of Koichi, Lisa and Sosuke, and especially between mother and son. More so, it's about the love between the boy and his new pet fish which he christened Ponyo, and I tell you Ponyo herself has enough cuteness in her to beat the likes of Bolt, WallE and Eve all hands down. Characterization here is top notch, and it's hard not to fall in love with Ponyo, in whichever form adopted, especially when she's such a playful being who doesn't hide her emotions - if she's upset with you, either she turns away or you could expect a jet stream come spewing from her mouth into your face!

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is a definite shoo-in to my top films of this year without hesitation. And the next time I go to Tokyo, I'm sure as hell going to make my way to the Ghibli Museum to bask under the magical world brought to us by Hayao Miyazaki. Highly recommended film, so don't you go missing this on the big screen!

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Gake no ue no Ponyo (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
It's kind of a bit...you know...shallow Tempestuous_One
Ponyo Will Be Miyazaki's Biggest Opening In The US The_HSX_Dude
So it was this or Ice Age 3 3D... tim_kick
English subtitle version? Stompin30
Cyrus and Jonas voices rubbersoul3130
Wait! ehswimrar
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