Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Ponyo

Original title: Gake no ue no Ponyo
  • 20082008
  • GG
  • 1h 41m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
141K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,834
308
Ponyo (2008)
The story of a young and overeager goldfish named Ponyo (voiced by Noah Cyrus) and her quest to become human.
Play trailer2:19
7 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Animation
  • Adventure
  • Comedy
A five-year-old boy develops a relationship with Ponyo, a young goldfish princess who longs to become a human after falling in love with him.A five-year-old boy develops a relationship with Ponyo, a young goldfish princess who longs to become a human after falling in love with him.A five-year-old boy develops a relationship with Ponyo, a young goldfish princess who longs to become a human after falling in love with him.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
141K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,834
308
  • Director
    • Hayao Miyazaki
  • Writers
    • Hayao Miyazaki
    • Melissa Mathison(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Cate Blanchett(English version)
    • Matt Damon(English version)
    • Liam Neeson(English version)
Top credits
  • Director
    • Hayao Miyazaki
  • Writers
    • Hayao Miyazaki
    • Melissa Mathison(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Cate Blanchett(English version)
    • Matt Damon(English version)
    • Liam Neeson(English version)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 242User reviews
    • 162Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 12 wins & 20 nominations

    Videos7

    Ponyo -- Trailer #2
    Trailer 2:19
    Ponyo -- Trailer #2
    Ponyo
    Trailer 1:33
    Ponyo
    A Guide to the Films of Hayao Miyazaki
    Clip 2:12
    A Guide to the Films of Hayao Miyazaki
    Ponyo - "Fish Out of Water"
    Clip 1:52
    Ponyo - "Fish Out of Water"
    Ponyo – “A Jarring Find”
    Clip 1:42
    Ponyo – “A Jarring Find”
    Ponyo
    Featurette 0:58
    Ponyo
    Ponyo
    Featurette 0:53
    Ponyo

    Photos250

    Cate Blanchett and Yûki Amami in Ponyo (2008)
    Akiko Yano, Noah Cyrus, and Yuria Nara in Ponyo (2008)
    Ponyo (2008)
    Akiko Yano, Noah Cyrus, and Yuria Nara in Ponyo (2008)
    Noah Cyrus, Frankie Jonas, Hiroki Doi, and Yuria Nara in Ponyo (2008)
    Ponyo (2008)
    Frankie Jonas and Hiroki Doi in Ponyo (2008)
    Frankie Jonas and Hiroki Doi in Ponyo (2008)
    Akiko Yano, Noah Cyrus, and Yuria Nara in Ponyo (2008)
    Liam Neeson and George Tokoro in Ponyo (2008)
    Akiko Yano, Noah Cyrus, and Yuria Nara in Ponyo (2008)
    Ponyo (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Cate Blanchett
    Cate Blanchett
    • Gran Mamareas Gran Mamare
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    Matt Damon
    Matt Damon
    • Kôichias Kôichi
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    Liam Neeson
    Liam Neeson
    • Fujimotoas Fujimoto
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    Tomoko Yamaguchi
    • Risaas Risa
    • (voice)
    Kazushige Nagashima
    • Kôichias Kôichi
    • (voice)
    Yûki Amami
    Yûki Amami
    • Granmamareas Granmamare
    • (voice)
    George Tokoro
    • Fujimotoas Fujimoto
    • (voice)
    Yuria Nara
    • Ponyoas Ponyo
    • (voice)
    Hiroki Doi
    • Sôsukeas Sôsuke
    • (voice)
    Rumi Hiiragi
    Rumi Hiiragi
    • Fujinas Fujin
    • (voice)
    Akiko Yano
    • Ponyo no imôto-tachias Ponyo no imôto-tachi
    • (voice)
    Kazuko Yoshiyuki
    Kazuko Yoshiyuki
    • Tokias Toki
    • (voice)
    Tomoko Naraoka
    • Yoshieas Yoshie
    • (voice)
    Shin'ichi Hatori
    • The Newscasteras The Newscaster
    • (voice)
    Tokie Hidari
    • Kayoas Kayo
    • (voice)
    Eimi Hiraoka
    • Kumikoas Kumiko
    • (voice)
    Nozomi Ohashi
    • Karenas Karen
    • (voice)
    Akihiko Ishizumi
      • Director
        • Hayao Miyazaki
      • Writers
        • Hayao Miyazaki
        • Melissa Mathison(screenplay)
      • All cast & crew
      • See more cast details at IMDbPro

      More like this

      Kiki's Delivery Service
      7.8
      Kiki's Delivery Service
      The Secret World of Arrietty
      7.6
      The Secret World of Arrietty
      My Neighbor Totoro
      8.1
      My Neighbor Totoro
      Castle in the Sky
      8.0
      Castle in the Sky
      Howl's Moving Castle
      8.2
      Howl's Moving Castle
      The Cat Returns
      7.2
      The Cat Returns
      Spirited Away
      8.6
      Spirited Away
      From Up on Poppy Hill
      7.4
      From Up on Poppy Hill
      Whisper of the Heart
      7.9
      Whisper of the Heart
      When Marnie Was There
      7.7
      When Marnie Was There
      The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
      8.0
      The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
      Pom Poko
      7.3
      Pom Poko

      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        Hayao Miyazaki drew most of the sea and wave imagery himself, experimenting with making it as expressionistic as possible. John Lasseter said that he had never seen water animated so beautifully before.
      • Goofs
        In the English dubbed version, when Ponyo and Sosuke come across the Devonian-era fish while riding in the toy boat, Ponyo incorrectly calls one of them a Bothriocephalus. The correct name for that specific fish is Bothriolepis. Bothriocephalus is actually the name of a genus of tapeworm.
      • Quotes

        Ponyo: Ponyo wants ham!

      • Alternate versions
        The Japanese theatrical release had the Toho logo at the start of the movie (Toho was the distributor for this release). The U.S. theatrical release removes the Toho logo and replaces it with the 2006 Disney logo, followed by the Studio Ghibli logo. All other international theatrical versions have the film simply beginning with the Studio Ghibli logo.
      • Connections
        Edited into Miyazaki Dreams of Flying (2017)
      • Soundtracks
        Gake no ue no Ponyo
        (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea)

        Lyrics by Katsuya Kondô & Hayao Miyazaki

        Composed by Joe Hisaishi

        Arranged by Joe Hisaishi

        Japanese version performed by Takaaki Fujioka (as Fujioka) Naoya Fujimaki (as Fujimaki) & Nozomi Ohashi

        English version performed by Noah Cyrus (as Noah Cyrus) & Frankie Jonas

        Courtesy of Yamaha Music Communications

      User reviews242

      Review
      Top review
      10/10
      A Nutshell Review: Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
      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!
      helpful•88
      18
      • DICK STEEL
      • Dec 25, 2008

      FAQ5

      • Is "Ponyo" based on a book?
      • In the movie, Ponyo is called Brunhilda by her father. What does that mean?
      • Where is Ponyo's hometown located?

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • August 14, 2009 (United States)
      • Country of origin
        • Japan
      • Official sites
        • Disney (United States)
        • Official Facebook
      • Languages
        • English
        • Japanese
      • Also known as
        • Nàng tiên cá Phương Đông
      • Production companies
        • Studio Ghibli
        • Nippon Television Network (NTV)
        • Dentsu
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Box office

      Edit
      • Budget
        • $34,000,000 (estimated)
      • Gross US & Canada
        • $15,743,471
      • Opening weekend US & Canada
        • $3,585,852
        • Aug 16, 2009
      • Gross worldwide
        • $204,826,668
      See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

      Technical specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        1 hour 41 minutes
      • Color
        • Color
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.85 : 1

      Related news

      Contribute to this page

      Suggest an edit or add missing content
      Ponyo (2008)
      Top Gap
      What was the official certification given to Ponyo (2008) in Spain?
      Answer
      • See more gaps
      • Learn more about contributing
      Edit page

      More to explore

      View list
      List
      Editors' Picks: What to Watch Now on Netflix
      See the full list
      View list
      List
      The Best Movies Coming This Summer
      See the full list

      Recently viewed

      Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
      Get the IMDb App
      • Get the IMDb App
      • Help
      • Site Index
      • IMDbPro
      • Box Office Mojo
      • IMDb Developer
      • Press Room
      • Advertising
      • Jobs
      • Conditions of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Interest-Based Ads
      IMDb, an Amazon company

      © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.