Ponyo (2008)
“Gake no ue no Ponyo”.
Animation, Adventure, Comedy |
Ponyo is a Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Mitsubishi, and distributed by Toho.
The film stars Yuria Nara, Hiroki Doi, Tomoko Yamaguchi, Kazushige Nagashima, Yūki Amami, George Tokoro, Rumi Hiiragi, Akiko Yano, Kazuko Yoshiyuki and Tomoko Naraoka. It is the eighth film Miyazaki directed for Studio Ghibli, and his tenth overall. The film tells the story of Ponyo (Nara), a goldfish who escapes from the ocean and is rescued by a five-year-old human boy, Sōsuke (Doi) after she is washed ashore while trapped in a glass jar. As they bond with each other, the story deals with resolving Ponyo’s desire to become a human girl, against the devastating circumstances brought about by her acquisition and use of magic.
Fujimoto, a once-human wizard/scientist, lives underwater along with his daughter, Brunhilde, and her numerous smaller sisters. While she and her siblings are on an outing with their father in his four-flippered submarine, Brunhilde sneaks off and floats away on the back of a jellyfish. After an encounter with a fishing trawler, she becomes trapped in a glass jar and drifts to the shore of a small fishing town where she is rescued by a five-year-old boy named Sōsuke. Shattering the jar with a rock, Sōsuke cuts his finger in the process. Brunhilde licks his wound causing it to heal almost instantly. Sōsuke names her Ponyo and promises to protect her. Meanwhile, a distraught Fujimoto searches frantically for his lost daughter whom he believes to have been kidnapped. He calls his wave spirits to recover her, leaving Sōsuke heartbroken and confused by what happened.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Stars: Tomoko Yamaguchi, Kazushige Nagashima, Yûki Amami, George Tokoro, Yuria Nara, Hiroki Doi, Rumi Hiiragi
►Cast:
| Tomoko Yamaguchi | … | Risa (voice) |
| Kazushige Nagashima | … | Kôichi (voice) |
| Yûki Amami | … | Granmamare (voice) |
| George Tokoro | … | Fujimoto (voice) |
| Yuria Nara | … | Ponyo (voice) |
| Hiroki Doi | … | Sôsuke (voice) |
| Rumi Hiiragi | … | Fujin (voice) |
| Akiko Yano | … | Ponyo no imôto-tachi (voice) |
| Kazuko Yoshiyuki | … | Toki (voice) |
| Tomoko Naraoka | … | Yoshie (voice) |
| Shin’ichi Hatori | … | The Newscaster (voice) |
| Tokie Hidari | … | Kayo (voice) |
| Eimi Hiraoka | … | Kumiko (voice) |
| Nozomi Ohashi | … | Karen (voice) |
| Akihiko Ishizumi | … | (voice) |
| Eiko Kanazawa | … | (voice) |
| Tomie Kataoka | … | (voice) |
| Shirô Saitô | … | (voice) |
| Mutsumi Sasaki | … | (voice) |
| Akiko Takeguchi | … | Noriko (voice) |
| Yusuke Tezuka | … | (voice) |
| Keiko Tsukamoto | … | (voice) |
| Ikuko Yamamoto | … | (voice) |
| Michiko Yamamoto | … | (voice) |
| Yoshie Yamamoto | … | (voice) |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia