Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, is a 2008 Japanese animated film by Studio Ghibli, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is Miyazaki's eighth film for Ghibli, and his tenth overall. The plot centers on a goldfish named Ponyo who befriends a five-year-old human boy, Sōsuke, and wants to become a human girl. It was inspired after he watched the Disney film The Little Mermaid.


*SPOILER ALERT!!!!!*
The plot centers on a fish-girl who lives in an aquarium in her father's underwater castle with numerous smaller sisters. When her father takes her and her siblings on an outing in his four-flippered submarine, Ponyo is driven by a desire to see even more of the world and floats away on the back of a jellyfish. She ends up stranded on the shore of a small fishing town and is rescued by a boy named Sōsuke, who cuts his finger in the process. She licks his wound when he picks her up, and the wound heals almost instantly. After taking a great liking to her, Sōsuke names her Ponyo and promises to protect her forever. Meanwhile, her father, Fujimoto, is looking for his daughter. Upset that she ran away, he believes the humans have now kidnapped her, and he calls his wave spirits to return Ponyo to him. Sōsuke is heartbroken by this and goes home with his mother, Lisa, who tries to cheer him up to no avail.

Ponyo and her father have a confrontation, during which Ponyo refuses to let her father call her by her birthname, "Brunhilde." She declares her name to be Ponyo and voices her desire to become human because she has started to fall in love with Sōsuke. Suddenly she starts to grow legs and turn into a human, a consequence of the human blood she swallowed when she licked Sōsuke's finger. Her father turns her back with difficulty and goes to summon Ponyo's mother. Meanwhile, Ponyo, with the help of her sisters, breaks away from her father and releases his magic to make herself human. The huge amount of magic released into the ocean causes an imbalance in the world, resulting in a huge storm. Riding on the waves of the storm, Ponyo goes back to visit Sōsuke. Lisa, Sōsuke, and Ponyo wait out the storm at Sōsuke's house, and the next morning Lisa leaves to check up on the residents of the nursing home where she works.

Granmamare, Ponyo's mother, arrives at Fujimoto's submarine. On her way there, Sōsuke's father has seen and recognized her as the Goddess of Mercy. Fujimoto notices the moon has come out of its orbit and satellites are falling like shooting stars. Granmamare declares that if Sōsuke can pass a test, Ponyo can live as a human and the world order will be restored. If he fails, Ponyo will turn into sea foam. Sōsuke and Ponyo wake up to find that most of the land around the house has been covered by the ocean. Lisa has not come home yet, so with the help of Ponyo's magic, they make Sōsuke's toy boat life-size and set out to find Lisa. While traveling they see prehistoric fish swimming beneath them. After landing and finding Lisa's empty car, Ponyo and Sōsuke go through a tunnel. There Ponyo loses her human form and reverts into a fish. Sōsuke and Ponyo are taken by Fujimoto into the ocean and down to the protected nursing home where they are reunited with Lisa and meet Granmamare, both of whom have just had a long private conversation. Granmamare asks Sōsuke if he can love Ponyo whether she is a fish or human. Sōsuke replies that he "loves all the Ponyos." Granmamare then allows Ponyo to become human once Sōsuke kisses her on the surface. The film ends with Ponyo jumping up and kissing Sosuke, transforming into a little girl in mid-air.

Info link: link


Movie link (Japaneses with English sub): link

I hope it's obvious.

Never seen Ponyo.

^^You should. It's a nice movie for a lazy day or something.

Hey deathchick9, how about putting the link to where you got that info from? And writing "SPOILER ALERT"? Because whoever actually wrote that summary pretty much packed the whole movie in there.

Ponyo was really cute (and super trippy, but hey, that's Miyazaki)! I still prefer TLM, but Ponyo is one of my favorite Miyazaki films now.

I love Ponyo too, but TLM is my favorite movie.

Okie Dokie firegirl1515!

Wasn't impressed with Ponyo.

never saw Ponyo, although it was probably cool. Frankie Jonas is the only cool Jonas Brother, although Kevin isn't an idiot like Joe and Nick.

I really do love The Little Mermaid,but I prefer Ponyo.

I have never seen Ponyo.

I agree with princesslullaby. TLM is the best :)