Studio Ghibli is currently priming the publicity pump for Hayao Miyazaki's next movie, Ponyo on a Cliff, (Gake no ue no Ponyo in Japan) which comes to Japanese theatres this July, and North American cinemas sometime next year.
Last week, producer (and former Studio Ghibli chief) Toshio Suzuki talked up the flick, and now it's the anime maestro's turn to break silence about the film, kindly translated from the Japanese by the good folks at Ghibliworld. He's joined by Suzuki, who adds a couple of comments here and there.
Ponyo on a Cliff Miyazaki's The Little Mermaid
When Suzuki compared Ponyo on a Cliff to Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, he wasn't talking out of turn. Miyazaki admitted that he drew extensively from the classic fairy tale when developing his movie.
"I moved the location of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid to the Japan of today and cut off the Catholic color," said Miyazaki. Presumably he also altered the downbeat ending of the original tale. "(Ponyo on a Cliff) will show an adventure and love of small kids."
The plot revolves around Ponyo, a goldfish who wants to become human, and her relationship with a 5-year-old boy named Sosuke. Early reports stated that Hayao's eldest son and rival Goro Miyazaki was the model for Sosuke, while others said that it was Goro's own child who inspired the character.
"This is a story about a fish kid that has a selfish wish to get along with Sosuke, a human boy, and carries out her intention," Hayao Miyazaki said. "Meanwhile it is a story about the 5-year-old boy Sosuke carrying out his promise."
Location Important for Ponyo on a Cliff
In 2004, Miyazaki went with a group of Studio Ghibli employees to a small town in Seto-nai-kai, which was famous for Sakamoto Ryouma (a folk hero of Japan’s Bakumatsu period) having once stayed there. Miyazaki was so inspired by the setting that he lived there for 2 months while painting the watercolours that formed the basis for Ponyo.
"Since a few years ago Miyazaki used to say "I want to draw the sea properly and would like to try it again." and he tried a new method," said Suzuki.
Ponyo on a Cliff takes place in a small countryside town near the sea called Niura (or Shin-ura). Miyazaki invented place names like Ponyo ga Hama (Ponyo beach) and Kujira-jima (Whale island), where other parts of the story unfold.
"There are not many characters (in the film)," admits Miyazaki. "The sea is like a creature. A world where magic appears in unconcern. I animated the sea not as a background, but as a main character."
Miyazaki admitted that the name Sosuke came from the protagonist of Natsume Souseki's novel Mon, which Miyazaki read during this time.
Ultimately for Miyazaki, Ponyo on a Cliff is about, "A boy and a girl. Love and life. I try to depict those without any hesitation and try to counter the age of nervous disease and angst."
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