The Art of Ponyo (Ponyo on the Cliff By the Sea) [Paperback]

Hayao Miyazaki (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: August 11, 2009 | Series: Ponyo on the Cliff By the Sea

· The U.S. theatrical release of Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is expected in April 2009. ·         Ponyo had over $100 million at the box office in Japan. With the population difference, this is equivalent to Batman The Dark Knight’s $400-$500 million at the box office in the U.S.

· The character of Ponyo – a goldfish who becomes a young girl – is very, very cute.

· Ponyo storyline is more familiar to Western audiences than previous Miyazaki films

· Ecological themes make the book very timely, especially for children.

· Ponyo will likely be more popular than prior Miyazaki films at the US box office; we can also expect DVD sales of more than 500,000 (Spirited Away did 400,000 after release).

· Ponyo film extremely likely to be nominated for Academy award for animated feature. (Backlist selling opportunity).

Relive the story of Ponyo and Sosuke in this full-color movie art book!

 

From the animators of Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke and Academy Award winner Spirited Away, comes the new Studio Ghibli film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.

 

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, is a hand-drawn feature-length film. The art of the film involves not only cel, but also striking watercolor and pastel concept sketches and layout pages. Interviews with productiin principals about their daring choice to hand draw a film in the age of CGI and the screenplay complete the package.

 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hayao Miyazaki is one of Japan's most beloved animation directors. In September 2005 he was awarded the Venice International Film Festival's Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement, and his Studio Ghibli received the Festival's Osella Award for overall achievement in 2004. Miyazaki's films include Spirited Away, winner of the 2002 Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature Film, as well as Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro and Howl's Moving Castle, all of which have received great acclaim in the U.S. Miyazaki's other achievements include the highly regarded manga series Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which is published in English by VIZ Media. Nausicaä, like many of the director's movies, is now available on DVD in the U.S.

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC (August 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1421530643
• ISBN-13: 978-1421530642
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 0.9 x 11.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #570,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hayao Miyazaki is the prominent director of many popular animated feature films. He is also the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, the award-winning Japanese animation studio and production company behind worldwide hits such as PRINCESS MONONOKE, HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE and SPIRITED AWAY.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 58 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It will put a smile on your face August 24, 2009

By Parka TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Length: 0:22 Mins

I can't believe I actually held off purchasing the original Japanese art book when it came out in August 2008. The long wait for the translated version from Viz Media is finally over! It's cool that they have also used the smooth matte paperback covers typically used by the Japanese Studio Ghibli art books. Nice touch.

The Art of Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is a very beautiful book presented just like the other Studio Ghibli art books. There are background paintings, pencil watercolour sketches and film stills. This time, they have included more concept art than the film stills. We have lots of character designs and town paintings. That's over 220 pages of art work followed by the complete voice-over script.

All the concept sketches are drawn by Hayao Miyazaki in his usual pencil and watercolour wash treatment. The concept art and backgrounds by the art staff were supervised by art director Noboru Yoshida, and character sketches and design are by supervising animator Katsuya Kondo. There are interviews with those two as well as with Michiyo Yasuda (Chief Colour Designer) and Atsushi Okui (Director of Digital Imaging). They talk about the watercolour storyboards, how Miyazaki works, how they create the sea and other production stories.

This book is highly recommended for all fans of Studio Ghibli. It will put a smile on your face.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I wanted August 24, 2010

By Duncan Goetze

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was excited to see this book on amazon for a few reasons, the biggest being that it's actually by Hayao Miyazaki. I would have been less inclined to order it if it were through a Disney representative. This way I know I'm getting what Hayao wants me to get, and not just whatever the 3rd party feels like printing.

The book has nice, full colour, somewhat glossy pages. It has concept art on the characters, as well as the scenery, and also shows complete frames. It goes without saying that with 268 pages there is little that the book doesn't touch on.

An excellent buy for artists (who are into this sort of thing), and Studio Ghibli film enthusiasts. If there was a second volume, I would buy that too.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love the Movie, Love the Book April 21, 2011

By GlowWorm

Format:Paperback

I love everything having to do with Miyazaki. This is a wonderful item to have along with a copy of the movie. It shows a lot of how the art came about. I got this as a gift and I am so pleased with it. For anyone who liked this movie and books like this, I recommend Howl's Moving Castle too.
Howl's Moving Castle

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing March 7, 2012

By Prinii

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

First, this book is HUGE and thick. The Amazon images make it look small and the cover "faded", but colors are vivid with a very thick quality of paper.
Second, there are tons of images on each and every page. The pages that are without any kind of art I can count on one hand. This is a great addition for any animation, Miyazaki, or general anime fan. It lets you in to the movie's secrets, motivations, what could have been, etc. The only "criticism" is The images at the bottom of the script pages aren't in color, but that's all nitpicking. Highly recommended!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lovely Book December 17, 2009

By A. Michalski

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a lovely detailed book that brings the magic of Ponyo to the coffee table

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful art book of Ponyo November 24, 2012

By A. Zugel

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Studio Ghibli art book series is marvelous. The images are well laid out with great infomation about the film and the film process. If you are a Miyazaki fan I would highly recommend this series.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of, if not the best title in the Studio Ghibli Library series June 28, 2011

By Stop Motion Maniac

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Art of Ponyo is probably my favorite title in the Studio Ghibli Library series. Unlike the other titles in this series, this one is not hardback, but does have a dust cover. This particular title is 272 pages.

The book is divided into the following chapters:

"A Small Seaside Town" Hayao Miyazaki
Introduction
Interview, Katsuya Kondo, Supervising Animator
Interview Noboru Yoshida, Art Director
Making the Scenes
Interview Michiyo Yasuda, Chief Color Designer
Interview Atsushi Okui, Director of Digital Imaging
The Complete Voce-Over Script
Credits

The beautiful watercolors are primarily what make this my favorite title. I also enjoy being able to read what other important artists from the film have to say about the process. I also enjoyed seeing Kazuo Oga's work (one of my favorites from Studio Ghibli).

Highly recommended.