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Trailer Breakdown: Ponyo

Features
By James White published 24 June 2009

Hayao Miyazaki's latest work of genius is filleted...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Under The Sea

Under The Sea

Look kids - fish! We're really glad Pixar forced Andrew Stanton to abandon John Carter and get back to making what we all really want - a hand-drawn Finding Nemo seq... Wait, what? Sorry? Oh, this is Ponyo, apparently.

Page 1 of 18
Page 1 of 18
Fishy Tale

Fishy Tale

Here comes the warm-voiced Disney trailer man to kick off the narration: "He has been hailed as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time." Michael Bay finally gets his due!

Page 2 of 18
Page 2 of 18
Bubble Bobble

Bubble Bobble

"This summer, Hayao Miyazaki, director of the academy award-winning Spirited Away, releases his next masterpiece." Oh, hang on... Not Bay. That makes more sense. He's just put out a film too, though.

Page 3 of 18
Page 3 of 18
Watership... Up?

Watership... Up?

It's a ship! With fins! Swimming among the sea. This is how you know you're definitely in Miyazaki territory. Either that, or someone slipped LSD into your drink.

Page 4 of 18
Page 4 of 18
Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home

Rod Stewart's house, circa the 1970s. Okay, not really. This is our heroine's - who will come to be called Ponyo - father, who believes she has a mission in life.“We’ve all been waiting for you…”

Page 5 of 18
Page 5 of 18
Hello, Kiddie

Hello, Kiddie

Ponyo's pop is voiced by Liam Neeson. Apparently his particular set of skills in this instance includes... keeping little kids in bubbles?

Page 6 of 18
Page 6 of 18
High Tide

High Tide

"The whole world is out of balance," he says. Looks like we're in for another set of kids who have to bring balance to their world, what with this and Last Airbender. We know which movie we'd rather see right now.

Page 7 of 18
Page 7 of 18
Waves Of Destruction

Waves Of Destruction

Look! A car! Being washed away by the waves! Eco-chaos! Ha! Beat, that, Roland Emmerich! Oh, right... Aircraft carrier vs The White House. You win this round, Roland.

Page 8 of 18
Page 8 of 18
Big Burden

Big Burden

"Ponyo, you have to trust me. You’re the only one who can save the planet. Do it now, do it!" Blimey dad... pushy much?

Page 9 of 18
Page 9 of 18
Big Family

Big Family

This lot are Ponyo's sisters. Looks like her dad's been busy. Might be more Mick Jagger than Rod Stewart, then...

Page 10 of 18
Page 10 of 18
Lisa Looks Out

Lisa Looks Out

This is Lisa, voiced in the US version by TF favourite Tina Fey! It's not often we see her do a dramatic role. “I’ve never seen the ocean like this," she says as waves crash. You've never seen Margate during the windy season, then, love.

Page 11 of 18
Page 11 of 18
So... So... Sosuke

So... So... Sosuke

This is Sosuke, Lisa's son and the boy destined to become Ponyo's friend/crush object. "Wow!" he exclaims, looking out at something. We're guessing a Lindsay Lohan nip slip. But we could be wrong.

Page 12 of 18
Page 12 of 18
Golden Fish

Golden Fish

Ponyo was born a goldfish, but desperately yearns to become a human after meeting Sosuke. The story was, unsurprisingly, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy story, which Disney previously adapted into.... oh, we're going to say Beauty And The Beast? Kidding...

Since she's of fishy nature, she naturally has a good rapport with the local fin sqaud.

Page 13 of 18
Page 13 of 18
Mom?

Mom?

"Good luck, Ponyo..." Cate Blanchett as the character we believe to be Ponyo's mother, once more cornering the market on ethereal, shiny-light ladies.

Page 14 of 18
Page 14 of 18
To The Surface!

To The Surface!

Ponyo, with the help of her sisters, makes it to the surface, but her biggest challenges lie ahead. We'd make a crack here about avoiding whaling ships, but it's probably not culturally sensitive.

Page 15 of 18
Page 15 of 18
Sailor Shock

Sailor Shock

“What is that?” shouts a sailor as Ponyo and her fishy mates break the surface. What, never seen a fish-girl and a load of whales shooting out of the sea before? Amateur.

Page 16 of 18
Page 16 of 18
Surfing Life

Surfing Life

"Dear Agonyy Aunt column, today I chased after the boy I like while surfing on the back of the whale. Is this coming on too strong? Yours, Ponyo. PS Sorry the letter is soggy."

Page 17 of 18
Page 17 of 18
Name Brands

Name Brands

Betty White! Sold! We're in. Actually, we doubt she'll be able to unleash her notoriously fun potty mouth in what is clearly aimed at kids.

But we're anxious to see Miyazaki's latest - it looks amazing, with some stunning animation. And while the storyline might not be as mature as some of his other films, we're sure it'll be loaded with charm.

Come on Disney, give us a British release date! And not straight to video - we want to see this thing on the big screen...

Page 18 of 18
Page 18 of 18
CATEGORIES
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James White
Freelance Journalist

James White is a freelance journalist who has been covering film and TV for over two decades. In that time, James has written for a wide variety of publications including Total Film and SFX. He has also worked for BAFTA and on ODEON's in-cinema magazine. 

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