Ponyo

Synopsis

Brunhilde, a goldfish, escapes her underwater dwelling and washes up on a jellyfish before getting trapped in a glass jar. She is rescued by Sousuke, a young boy living with his mother, Lisa, in a coastal town while his father, Koichi, works as a fisherman at sea. After using her magic to heal a cut on Sousuke's finger, the boy names her Ponyo. Ponyo's father, Fujimoto, a sorcerer who left human life to dwell beneath the waves, frantically searches for his daughter. Upon finding her, Ponyo rejects her original name and insists on becoming human. Using some of Sousuke's blood, she transforms into a girl with arms and legs and returns to the surface. This transformation unleashes potent magic that disrupts the natural order, causing erratic tidal shifts and destabilizing the Moon's orbit. To correct this imbalance and grant Ponyo the chance to remain human, Sousuke must complete an ancient test together with his new friend.

Background

Gake no Ue no Ponyo—Miyazaki's 8th animated film with Studio Ghibli—grossed more than $201 million USD worldwide. It is made up of over 170,000 individual frames. In 2009, the film won in five categories at the 8th Annual Tokyo Anime awards. It was also awarded with the 32nd Japan Academy Prize for both Animation of the Year and Outstanding Musical Achievement. Many aspects of Ponyo drew from portions of day-to-day life. The seaside village, for example, is based on Tomonoura, Japan, with some sections inspired by Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre. The main character, Sosuke, is also named after the hero of The Gate by Natsume Soseki.