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''Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea'' (''Gake no Ue no Ponyo'') is a film by [[Anime]] master [[Hayao Miyazaki]] and [[Studio Ghibli]] in 2008. Loosely ('''''very''''' loosely) based on the [[Hans Christian Andersen]] story ''The Little Mermaid'', the movie follows the adventures of Ponyo, a sort of... [[Buffy-Speak|goldfishy thing]], and her quest [[Pinocchio Syndrome|to become human]].
 
In comparison with [[Hayao Miyazaki|Miyazaki]]'s other recent works, this is a return to his more whimsical, [[Slice of Life]] movies such as ''[[My Neighbor Totoro (Anime)|My Neighbor Totoro]]'' and ''[[Kiki's Delivery Service (Anime)|Kiki's Delivery Service]]''. The difference is, it's also his only movie that is directly aimed at the under-ten set. The result is that many long-time Miyazaki fans [[What Do You Mean It's for Kids?|didn't know what to make of it]]. It is also the studio's first film in years not to feature any CGI!
 
The Disney dub of ''Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea'' received a U.S. theatrical release in August 2009 under the abbreviated title ''Ponyo'' (after being initially marketed as ''Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea''). As of March 2, 2010 Disney has released it on DVD and Blu-Ray as well.
 
Oh, and -- [[Doing It for Thethe Art|as usual]] for [[Hayao Miyazaki|Miyazaki]] -- the animation is awesome, in the original sense of the word (i.e. awe-inspiring).
 
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* [[All-Star Cast]]/[[Celebrity Voice Actor]]: while Disney has always been able to find a few famous actors to do the English dubs of Ghibli films and ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'', this movie seriously takes the cake. With a cast including: [[Matt Damon]], [[Tina Fey]], Cate Blanchett, [[Liam Neeson]], [[Betty White]], Lily Tomlin, and Cloris Leachman.
* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]: Ponyo's mother Granmammare is apparently the personification of the sea. She is also an Archetype, the Great Mother. Does that mean Fujimoto [[Did You Just Romance Cthulhu?|scored with]] [[Yu-Gi-Oh!: theThe Abridged Series|the ocean? What a freaky fish guy!]]
* [[Bad Moon Rising]]: Way too large and drawing the tides way too high.
* [[Baka]]: Lisa's favorite word when using the signaling light. In the English dub, it's changed to "[[Unusual Euphemism|Bug off.]]"
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* [[Cute Bruiser]]: Ponyo accidentally causes a ''tsunami''.
* [[Does Not Like Shoes]]: Ponyo is barefoot the entire movie
* [[Doing It for Thethe Art]]: Pretty much a given with [[Hayao Miyazaki|Miyazaki]] films, but impressive even by his standards. Hand-drawn animation, folks.
* [[Drives Like Crazy]]: Lisa. It certainly does not help that Sosuke is in the car for most of her road antics.
* [[Fish Out of Water]]: literally with Ponyo, though she's not a typical example of this trope.
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* [[Green Aesop]]: Although not entirely: the point seems to be that despite pollution, [[Humans Are Bastards|humans are NOT bastards]] -- at least not individually.
* [[Grumpy Bear]]: Fujimoto, who (understandably) cannot get past the pollution thing enough to be optimistic about ''anything'' where humans are involved.
* [[Henpecked Husband]]: Sosuke's dad, although not entirely unjustified (see [[Married to Thethe Job]]). Also, Ponyo's father with Granmammare -- in this case the reason is obvious.
* [[Hot Mom]]: Lisa. Also Granmamare, but it's to be expected since she's a goddess.
* [[Hot Dad]]: Fujimoto, Glam-rock star of the sea. In the Finnish dub, he is voiced by Ismo Alanko, who is literally a rock star (by Finnish standards).
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* [[Invisible to Normals]]: Only children can see that the waves have eyes... And only a single one of the elderly ladies seems at all confused at the fact that Sosuke's goldfish has a ''human head''.
* [[Iris Out]]
* [[The Jimmy Hart Version]]: Of "[[Ride of the Valkyries (Music)|Ride of the Valkyries]]", when Ponyo rides the tsunami to the surface. Possibly a [[Shout-Out]], because her real name is Brunhilde.
* [[Kick the Dog]]: Fujimoto mentions offhandedly that he plans to eradicate human civilization by using magic to create a new era of sea life. This is quickly derailed by Ponyo in her eagerness to return to the surface. As a result, prehistoric fish appear (specifically Devonian, even though he mentions the Cambrian Explosion) but humanity goes on.
* [[Large Ham]]: Ponyo, with emphasis on '''HAAAAAAAAAM!!!'''
* [[Licked Byby the Dog]]: If the personification of the sea and all sea life liked you enough to marry you, you're probably not that bad a person. They have a LOT of kids too. Ponyo's got to have at least fifty sisters!
* [[Lighter and Softer]]: In America, fans were rather... ''surprised'' at how kid-friendly ''Ponyo'' is compared to the generally more all-ages/adult-skewing Studio Ghibli output.
* [[Lighthouse Point]]
* [[Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter|Mad Wizard's Adorable Daughter]]: Ponyo.
* [[Mama Bear]]: Lisa sure knows how to handle situations with danger, especially if her son's around. Although she's also the cause of a few dangerous situations herself (see [[Drives Like Crazy]]), so [[Your Mileage May Vary]] on this point.
* [[Married to Thethe Job]]: Sosuke's dad, which is a ''real'' sore spot with Lisa, although it leads to a [[Crowning Moment of Funny]] during the "signalling" sequence.
* [[Meaningful Name]]: Granmamare. Basically means "Great Mother of the Sea" ("Mare" is "sea" in Latin).
* [[Meaningful Rename]]: Ponyo insists on it.
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* [[No Indoor Voice]]: Ponyo, more so in the Japanese version.
* [[No Social Skills]]: Ponyo doesn't "get" humans, and thus makes a lot of gaffes -- like carrying a bucket and towel to the table, referring to sandwiches as "milk" as the result of a conversation with a breastfeeding mother, and others. She also doesn't understand that when water comes from people's eyes, that means they're sad.
* [[Only Known Byby Their Nickname]]: Ponyo's real name is Brunhilde. "Ponyo" is just the name Sousuke gives her. Her father doesn't exactly roll with it, but her mother likes it.
* [[Overprotective Dad]]: Fujimoto all the way
* [[Our Mermaids Are Different]]: Where to start with this one?
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** Ponyo's sisters too.
* [[Rule of Symbolism]]:
** Ponyo has three "stages" of transformation: fish, <s>[[The Wind in Thethe Willows|Mr Toad]]</s> frog/amphibian thing, and human. When put in context with Fujimoto's talk of evolution and pre-history, Ponyo's speed evolution is a nice touch.
** Ponyo's sisters breaking her out of her bubble look extremely similar to sperm cells having at an egg.
** It's not surprising that the movie is crowded with little girls, young mothers and elderly ''obaa-san'', because they're all women at different stages of the life Ponyo desires.
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* [[Shout-Out]]:
** Fujimoto's ship looks like a boat crossed with a [[Castle in The Sky|flaptor]].
** The old ladies' knick-knack shelf has a mini-[[Spirited Away (Anime)|bird god]] in it.
** When Sosuke puts his captain's hat on he looks a lot like [[My Neighbor Totoro (Anime)|Mei and Satsuki's friend Kanta]], or like [[Grave of the Fireflies|a young version of Seita]].
** There's a [[My Neighbor Totoro (Anime)|Totoro]] magnet on the refrigerator in Sosuke's house, Lisa briefly sings a line from the opening song of the same movie ("I'm happy as can be!"), and Ponyo flashes Totoro's signature smile the first time she grows teeth.
** When Sousuke and Ponyo traverse the flooded town, they come across a tunnel remarkably similar to the one in [[Spirited Away (Anime)|Spirited Away]].
** The little girl, Kumiko, who Ponyo drenches with water, resembles a young [[Kiki's Delivery Service|Kiki]].
** The family with the baby resemble Satsuki, Mei and their father from [[My Neighbor Totoro]].
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