Disney Picks Up Ponyo for Aug. Release

Monday, March 23, 2009
By: Ramin Zahed

Disney will release Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea on August 14, 2009. Retitled as Ponyo for its U.S. theatrical run, the English-language version features the voices of Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Frankie Jonas, Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin and Betty White. John Lasseter, Brad Lewis and Peter Sohn are listed as English voice talent directors, and Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Steve Alpert are billed as producers of version. Melissa Mathison (ET, The Black Stallion) wrote the English screenplay.

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea was Japan’s biggest box office hit in 2008, earning 15.50 billion yen (over US $172 million), more than double the second highest-grossing film, Boys Over Flowers Final. The feature also won the Top Tokyo Anime Award and the Japanese Academy Award for Best Animation of the year a well as the Future Film Digital Award at last year’s Venice Film Festival.

Exec produced by Miyazaki and Lasseter, Ponyo is inspired in part by Hans Christian Andersen’s popular fairy tale The Little Mermaid. The plotline centers on the friendship between a five-year-old boy (voiced by Frankie Jonas) and an overeager goldfish (Noah Cyrus) who dreams of becoming human.

Reader Comments

• miguel a quiroz gonzalez : workman : independiente

  Wednesday, April 01, 2009

  soy de mexico,soy aficionado a la cultura japonesa.y conozco una obra de hayao miyazaki en sus inicios creo que volvera a ganar un oscar.este reportage lo
  dice todo

• Tim :

  Tuesday, April 07, 2009

  Finally!!! Ponyo\\\'s almost here!

• Lisa :

  Saturday, April 11, 2009

  YAY! .... cept the voice cast kinda sucks D=

• randa :

  Saturday, April 11, 2009

  OMG I AM SO EXCITCED ABOUT THIS MOVIE IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SINCE THE START OF JANUARY LAST YEAR(2008)
  
  
  P.S. Miyazaki and movies rule

• randa :

  Saturday, April 11, 2009

  I also love how all the coments are recent. if you go right down to it feel like nerd for keeping up with the movie

• FISKrawr : find misc : LOLOLOLOLMAO!

  Thursday, April 23, 2009

  Intersting... ive had many recent thoughts of howls moving castle. checked out the site and found this. and WOW so soon too ! i have great expectations from past films and definitly am going to check it out

• AMICHICK(% : NONE:) :

  Saturday, April 25, 2009

  OMG i cant wait for ponyo to come out i have seen ( and own) everyone of miyazakis movies and have been waiting for it to come out since miyazaki announced that they were making another movie. Also if you like Miyazaki\\\'s movies u should check out isao takahata\\\'s they\\\'re awesome too. Also miyazaki\\\'s eldest son, Goro miyazaki, movie come out in the u.s sometime after 2009 although no one is ecatlly sure when, it is called Tales of Earthsea.

• Ponyo :

  Thursday, May 07, 2009

  I\'m soo glad that ponyo is finally here!... ThoughI live in England so the film may come out after the US release :)...

• C.L.G. : student :

  Monday, May 11, 2009

  I can\'t wait till Ponyo comes out here!!!!
  My only regret is that the main characters are voiced by more disney drones. They seem to be getting younger and younger these days...
  Anywho, I\'m really looking forward to seeing it! >.

• JaneT : animator : student

  Thursday, May 21, 2009

  When will we be able to reserve a copy of the US DVD? According to IMDB there\'s a \"limited\" amount? I find this odd considering the popularity of Ghibli/Miyazaki\'s work in the US... but I\'m definitely not going to let this one slip through my fingers...

• Joe :

  Sunday, May 24, 2009

  Whoa I cannot wait. But seriously, the voice cast is fail. Disney pisses me off sometimes. Other then that, I\\\'m in love with the news of Ponyo coming :C

• drzoidberg69 : Healthcare Worker :

  Friday, May 29, 2009

  This is awsome news!!! I\'m soooo looking forward to seeing Miyazake\'s master work on the big screen again.
  It\'s been too long of a wait since \"Howl\'s Moving Castle\",
  which by the way was a brilliant movie. FYI, \"Tales of EarthSea\" is available on DVD with English subtitles and voice track. I own it & love it to bits. I found it on eBay. Happy hunting!!!!

• Thundar :

  Sunday, May 31, 2009

  I wish Disney would buy the rights to ONLY YESTERDAY. While not big on PLOT, its a moving film nonetheless.

• Ryan : Student :

  Sunday, May 31, 2009

  True visionary i cant wait... i really wish disney wouldnt have put its pop culture slimey hands all over it... i coulda done without more talentless cyrus\'s and jonas\'s

• Ben : 3d Animator : JF&A

  Tuesday, July 07, 2009

  This is great news, I\'m a big fan and look forward to watching it. I\'m not really worried about the Voice cast because I tend to watch them with subs because I like all the funny noises they make. :) eeeeEEEH?

• Ruby : Mountebank :

  Friday, August 07, 2009

  Yep - always wish Disney would keep it\'s slimy little pop proteges off of the really good stuff. Don\'t need a wonderful movie made gooey with these overly perky little no-talents. Other than that, I really want to see the flick.

• Katie : ? : ?

  Friday, October 30, 2009

  i agree randa, miazaki is awsome, yet Lisa youre a jeark for saying the cast stinks! I REALLY WANT TO SEE PONYO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!