Oscar-winning Japanese
animator Hayao Miyazaki releases his first full-length film in four
years this weekend, dropping computer graphics for his pencil to tell
the story of a fish-girl and the sea. "Ponyo on the Cliff by the
Sea," which the reclusive 67-year-old both wrote and directed, will hit
screens at cinemas across Japan on Saturday after weeks of intense
media interest. Inspired by the 19th-century fairy tale "The
Little Mermaid" by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, the story
centres around a tiny fish-girl, Ponyo, who rides a jellyfish to escape
her home in the sea. Miyazaki is one of Japan's biggest
cultural exports. His last film, "Howl's Moving Castle," broke opening
box office records at home in 2004 before winning a cult following in
Western and Asian nations.

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea

Hayao Miyazaki