Disney has released the first trailer for Ponyo, the newest movie from the acclaimed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, whose Spirited Away won the 2002 Oscar for Best Animated Film.
The movie tells the story of a goldfish princess who wants to become human and befriends a five-year-old boy. According to Nausicaa.net, the plot only superficially resembles the Hans Christian Anderson fairytale The Little Mermaid. The site Ghibli World, a collection site devoted to Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, noted that elements of the story reference Die Walküre, a 19th-century Wagner opera. You might remember the opera's "Ride of the Valkyries" from the famous helicopter sequence in Apocalypse Now.
The English-language version of Ponyo is scheduled for a limited American release on August 14. It will feature the voices of Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Lily Tomlin, and Cloris Leachman, among others. Enjoy the trailer: