History Trivia / PonyoOnTheCliffByTheSea

** Believe it or not, according to Miyazaki, Ponyo was originally a tin wind-up toy frog. Because of the strange concept, he changed her to a fish who shifts into an amphibian creature at times.

** While Disney has always been able to find a few famous actors to do the English dubs of Ghibli films and ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', this movie seriously takes the cake. With a cast including Creator/MattDamon, Creator/TinaFey, Creator/CateBlanchett, Creator/LiamNeeson, Creator/BettyWhite, Creator/LilyTomlin, and Creator/ClorisLeachman.

* ReferencedBy: In ''Fanfic/PreCureInANutshell'', [[Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure Pollun]] gets the parody name of Ponyo.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[https://kotaku.com/why-studio-ghibli-didnt-make-ponyo-2-1783958478 Miyazaki wanted to do a sequel to the film]], however Ghibli [[ExecutiveMeddling producer Toshio Suzuki didn't want a sequel and suggested he do a film based off of famed plane engineer and designer Jiro Horikoshi instead]], which he wasn't initially keen on at first, but eventually got behind it. While this did lead to the critically acclaimed ''Anime/TheWindRises'', one can't help but wonder what a ''Ponyo'' sequel could have looked like.

* RealitySubtext: Miyazaki made ''Ponyo'' as a means of trying to reconcile with his estranged son (the one who directed ''Anime/TalesFromEarthsea''). Throughout the film, Sosuke and his father are separated.

* DoingItForTheArt: Pretty much a given with [[Creator/HayaoMiyazaki Miyazaki]] films, but impressive even by his standards--no CGI was used during this film, at ''all''.

** This film was the very last film to get a wide retail VHS release, being released on VHS in [[NoExportForYou Japan only]] in 2009.

** The English dub's executive producer, Kathleen Kennedy, is the current leader of Creator/{{Lucasfilm}} (which also produced the English dub through Creator/SkywalkerSound) and the producer of the newer ''Franchse/StarWars'' films and shows.

* ProductionPosse: Executive producer Kathleen Kennedy and writer Melissa Mathison worked together on ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial''.

* SoMyKidsCanWatch: For the English dub, Megan Marshall, the daughter of the English version's executive producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy, suggested that Frankie Jonas and Music/NoahCyrus should play Sosuke and Ponyo, respectively.

* SoMyKidsCanWatch: For the English dub, Megan Marshall, the daughter of the English version's executive producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy, suggested that Frankie Jonas and Noah Cyrus should play Sosuke and Ponyo, respectively.

* ImageSource: PluckyGirl

** As with all Ghibli films since 1997, several famous actors and comedians provide several roles in the film, such as Tomoko Yamaguchi, George Tokoro, Kazushige Nagashima, Yuki Amami, Tomoko Naraoka, and Kazuko Yoshiyuki. Rumi Hiiragi, who voiced Chihiro in ''Anime/SpiritedAway'', voices the young mother.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[https://kotaku.com/why-studio-ghibli-didnt-make-ponyo-2-1783958478 Miyazaki wanted to do a sequel to the film]], however Ghibli [[ExecutiveMeddling producer Toshio Suzuki didn't want a sequel and suggested he do a film based off of famed plane engineer and designer Jiro Horikoshi instead]], which he wasn't initially keen on at first, but eventually got behind it. While this did lead to the critically acclaimed ''Anime/TheWindRises'', one can't help but wonder what a ''Ponyo'' sequel could have looked like.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[https://kotaku.com/why-studio-ghibli-didnt-make-ponyo-2-1783958478 Miyazaki wanted to do a sequel to the film]], however Ghibli [[ExecutiveMeddling producer Toshio Suzuki didn't want a sequel and suggested he do a film based off of famed plane engineer and designer Jiro Horikoshi instead]], which he wasn't initially keen on at first, but eventually got behind it. While this did lead to the critically acclaimed ''Anime/TheWindRises'', one can't help but wonder what a ''Ponyo'' sequel could have look liked.

* ImageSource:
** PluckyGirl

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[https://kotaku.com/why-studio-ghibli-didnt-make-ponyo-2-1783958478 Miyazaki wanted to do a sequel to the film]], however Ghibli [[ExecutiveMeddling producer Toshio Suzuki didn't want a sequel and suggested he do a film based off of famed plane engineer and designer Jiro Horikoshi instead]], which he wasn't initially keen on at first, but eventually got behind it. While this did lead to the critically acclaimed ''Anime/TheWindRises'', one can't help but wonder what would a ''Ponyo'' sequel could have look liked.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[https://kotaku.com/why-studio-ghibli-didnt-make-ponyo-2-1783958478 Miyazaki wanted to do a sequel to the film]], however his [[ExecutiveMeddling producer didn't want it and suggested he do a film based off of famed engineer and designer Jiro Horikoshi instead]], which he wasn't initially keen on at first, but eventually got behind it. While this did lead to the critically acclaimed ''Anime/TheWindRises'', one can't help but wonder what would a Ponyo sequel could have look liked.