Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (å´–ã®ä¸Šã®ãƒãƒ‹ãƒ§ Gake no Ue no Ponyo?) is a 2008 animated film by the Japanese anime studio Studio Ghibli, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is Miyazaki's ninth film for Ghibli. The plot centers on a baby fish/mermaid in the sea named Ponyo who becomes a human girl. In pursuing her goal, she befriends a five-year-old human boy, SÅsuke.