Wednesday
26Nov2008
Miyazaki Makes a 'Ponyo' in English
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 at 10:49PM
If you've never broadened your horizons to include
watching a few movies by
Hayao Miyazaki, that's your problem. Miyazaki
is one of the world's great storytellers, a master of what we call anime, and a
truly inventive artist.
The man behind Howl's Moving Castle, Princess
Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and the Best Animated Feature winner
Spirited Away scored one of his biggest successes ever just this past year
with Ponyo
on the Cliff By the Sea, a film about a boy who strikes up an
unlikely friendship with a kind of mermaid princess, whose only wish is to be
human. The film grossed $153 million in Japan, which is a staggering figure, but
not even close to what Spirited Away managed.
The man behind Howl's Moving Castle, Princess
Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and the Best Animated Feature winner
Spirited Away scored one of his biggest successes ever just this past year
with Ponyo
on the Cliff By the Sea, a film about a boy who strikes up an
unlikely friendship with a kind of mermaid princess, whose only wish is to be
human. The film grossed $153 million in Japan, which is a staggering figure, but
not even close to what Spirited Away managed.As was the case with that film, Ponyo will get an American release with featuring a terrific cast of voice talent who will bring the story to life in English: Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Betty White, Lily Tomlin, and Cloris Leachman. Oh, and a Jonas Brother.
Ghibli World has more details, and says that the American version of the film is expected to arrive in theaters in 2009. With producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy on board, I think we can be pretty confident that Ponyo will enjoy a pretty healthy run here in the U.S., where Miyazaki has a huge following among anime fans and the art house crowd, as well.
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