Citing Variety Japan, Studio Ghibli news site Nausicaa.net reports that Hayao Miyazaki’s next animated feature, Gake no ue no Ponyo (Ponyo on a Cliff), is slated for release in Japan this summer. July 19 is identified as a likely debut date since the 21st is a holiday in Japan. More information on the film will apparently be released following the Tokyo International Anime Fair, which takes place March 27-30.
Written by Miyazaki, the film’s story takes place in a seaside town and revolves around a five-year-old boy named Sosuke, who encounters an enchanted character named Ponyo, a goldfish princess who wants to become human. The Sosuke character is based on the director’s own grandson and one of the themes explored in the story is the closeness between a parent and child. The hand-drawn anime film will employ simple lines to tell a story reminiscent of the tales with which Miyazaki grew up.
Often referred to as the Walt Disney of Japan, Miyazaki directed the Academy Award-winning 2003 film Spirited Away, and the Oscar-nominated 2006 release Howl’s Moving Castle. He has been making animated films for decades, racking up list of credits that includes 1984’s Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds, 1988’s My Neighbor Totoro, 1989’s Kiki’s Delivery Service, 1992 Porco Rosso and 1997’s Princess Mononoke.
