During a documentary called 10 Years With Hayao Miyazaki, they said this was one of his most difficult films to make because it started with only a singular character, Ponyo.
This is one of my favorite films from the studio. To many, the film feels like a retelling of The Little Mermaid because it follows the story of a young fish who longs to escape her overbearing father. After meeting a young boy, she begins to transform into a human which leads to an incredible adventure for both the children and the adults. Although there are plenty of similarities to the story of The Little Mermaid,it turns out that there is no connection! During a documentary called 10 Years With Hayao Miyazaki, they said this was one of his most difficult films to make because it started with only a singular character, Ponyo. After seeing an image of a friend’s little girl, Miyazaki was inspired to create a character based on her. The film features the voice acting talents of Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, and Tina Fey.