BayAnime.com

Location: Wheeler Hall
Tickets: Full price $12, UCB students $9 [Buy tickets]

The Center for Japanese Studies, in conjunction with the Pacific Film Archive, is pleased to present the Northern California premiere of Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film, Ponyo, to be screened at Wheeler Hall on Friday, July 24, 2009. Ponyo (Gake no ue no Ponyo) follows the adventures of an intrepid goldfish and a young boy named Sosuke, who rescues her from a bottle among debris that human beings have inflicted upon the ocean. In this playful story of Ponyo’s rebellious desire to become human and of the relationships between children and parents, the great director again proves his peerless ability to connect with the keen perception and heart of a young child, while creating a world that speaks truths to adults as well. Among the many brilliant passages achieved through Miyazaki’s hand drawn animation are the artist’s irresistible depiction of a paradisal undersea realm and a wild tempest caused by Ponyo’s willfulness. The English-language version features the voices of Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus (Ponyo), Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Frankie Jonas (Sosuke), Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, and Betty White.” Executive Producers are John Lasseter, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall; the film is released in the U.S. by Walt Disney Pictures.

Gake no ue no Ponyo (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea) was Japan’s biggest box office hit in 2008. Ponyo also won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Animation of the year and, by special invitation, was screened at the 2008 Venice Film Festival.

This event is cosponsored by the Center for Japanese Studies and the Pacific Film Archive.