Ones To Watch #10 - Gake No Ue No Ponyo

#10

Gake No Ue No Ponyo (dir.Miyazaki)

Expected Release Date: TBA

Starring: (English dubbed) Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey & Liam Neeson

Studio: Studio Ghibli

Gake No Ue No Ponyo (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea) is Jap-animation genius Hayo Miyazaki’s first full length feature since Howl’s Moving Castle (released in 2004). For those following, Miyazaki has created a fascinating library of films inspired by decades of Japan’s heritage, culture and environment.

A list of Miyazaki’s directorial acheivements:

Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro
Nausicaa of The Valley of the Wind
Laputa: Castle In The Sky
My Neighbour Totoro
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Porco Rosso
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away
Howl’s Moving Castle

The point of this list is not to highlight the brilliance of Miyazaki and of course, Studio Ghibli but more pertinently to understand the themes which traverse through the filmography.


Pixar, (perhaps the only animation studio which compares favourably to Ghibli) uses certain narrative devices throughout its films, lovingly borrowed from the Ghibli blueprint. Like with all great films, both studios passionately acknowledge that the relationships between the chief protagonists are the driving force behind real unflailing emotion.

See how early Ghibli classics like Lupin III, My Neighbour Totoro & Porco Rosso all hinge on unsual, imaginatively rich relationships between two central characters and how Pixar with films such as Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille and Wall-E (to name but a handful) has followed this template and further embellished it.

Ponyo, garnered a stellar critical response in Venice last year and boosted Japan’s floundering box office returns in one fell swoop. Hopefully, the story of the fish who runs away from home will soon find a distributor and we the eager fans can watch what will likely be another masterpiece in the Studio Ghibli cannon.