Ponyo
DFI Cinema Under the Stars - Doha Film Institute
Hayao Miyazaki / Japan / 2008 / 100 min / Colour / DVD / In English / Arabic subtitles
Themes: Animation, Family, Fantasy
Rated: 
Parental guidance is advised. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.
Description
Sōsuke is a good-natured youngster who loves playing by the sea. One day, he finds a beautiful fish trapped in a bottle. He frees the creature, names her Ponyo and takes her everywhere in his green bucket, promising to look after her forever. Touched by Sōsuke’s kindness and fascinated by his life on land, Ponyo decides she wants to become human. Unbeknownst to Sōsuke, however, Ponyo is in fact a goldfish princess – and Fujimoto, her magician father, is distraught at her disappearance and summons all his power to return her to her undersea home. But Ponyo’s love for Sōsuke is so great and her desire to live on land so strong that the world is thrown out of balance, and it takes a lot of love, magic and understanding to make things right again.
Director
Hayao Miyazaki
Celebrated anime director Hayao Miyazaki is in magnificent form with ‘Ponyo’ (2008), which makes excellent use of the master’s customary stunning, magical animation to tell the charming tale of a goldfish princess who falls in love with a five-year-old boy. A gorgeous underwater universe, thrilling soundtrack, hilarious antics and imaginative whimsy make ‘Ponyo’ a holiday treat for the whole family. The film won five awards at the Tokyo Anime Awards in 2009, including Anime of the Year, Best Domestic Film, Best Director and Best Art Direction, and was named Animation of the Year by the Japan Academy Prize Association the same year.
Credits
- Screenwriter
- Hayao Miyazaki
- Producer
- Toshio Suzuki
- Cinematographer
- Atsushi Okui
- Editor
- Takeshi Seyama
- Music
- Joe Hisaishi
- Cast
- Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Noah Cyrus, Frankie Jonas