Distributed by WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES

© 2009 Nibariki-GNDHDDT. All Rights Reserved. disney.com/ponyo

STUDIO GHIBLI

NIPPON TELEVISION NETWORK

DENTSU

HAKUHODO DYMP

WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

HOME ENTERTAINMENT

MITSUBISHI

TOHO

Present

PONYO

©2008 Nibariki-GNDHDDT

Written and Directed by . . HAYAO MIYAZAKI

Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TOSHIO SUZUKI

Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOE HISAISHI

Imaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ATSUSHI OKUI

Color Design . . . . . . . . . . . MICHIYO YASUDA

Backgrounds. . . . . . . . . . . NOBORU YOSHIDA

Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . KATSUYA KONDO

Cast

Gran Mamare . . . . . . . . . . CATE BLANCHETT

Ponyo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NOAH CYRUS

Koichi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MATT DAMON

Lisa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TINA FEY

Sosuke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRANKIE JONAS

The Newscaster . . . . . . . . . KURT KNUTSSON

Yoshie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BETTY WHITE

Fujimoto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LIAM NEESON

Kumiko. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JENNESSA ROSE

Toki. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LILY TOMLIN

Noriko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CLORIS LEACHMAN

Additional Voices

CARLOS ALAZRAQUI BOB BERGEN

JOHANNA BRADDY MARSHA CLARKE

JOHN CYGAN JENNIFER DARLING

MADISON DAVENPORT COURTNEE DRAPER

CRISPIN FREEMAN JESS HARNELL

ELLA DALE LEWIS SHERRY LYNN

DANNY MANN MONA MARSHALL

MICKIE MCGOWAN LARAINE NEWMAN

COLLEEN O’SHAUGHNESSEY JAN RABSON

U.S. Production

Directors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOHN LASSETER

BRAD LEWIS

PETER SOHN

Executive Producers . . . . . . . JOHN LASSETER

KATHLEEN KENNEDY

FRANK MARSHALL

English Language

Screenplay . . . . . . . . . . MELISSA MATHISON

Translated from the

Original Japanese by . . . . . . . . . JIM HUBBERT

Associate Producers . . . . . . . PAUL CICHOCKI

KEVIN REHER

Voice Casting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . NATALIE LYON

Post Production Coordinator . . ERIC ZIEGLER

Production Finance. . . MARC S. GREENBERG

CHRISTOPHER “STU” STEWART

Business & Legal

Affairs . . . . . JODY WEINBERG SILVERMAN

Director’s Assistants . . . . . . . HEATHER FENG

LAUREL STOUT

Producer’s Assistant. . . . . . . . . JIM RODERICK

Sound Services

Provided by . . . . . . . . . SKYWALKER SOUND

Re-Recording Mixer . . MICHAEL SEMANICK

ADR Supervisor . . . . . . . . MICHAEL SILVERS

ADR Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MAC SMITH

Supervising Assistant Editor. CHRIS GRIDLEY

Mix Technician . . . . . . . . . . . . TONY SERENO

Dialogue Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . DOC KANE

BOBBY JOHANSON

ANDY WRIGHT

Prints by. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DELUXE LABS

CREDITS

1

CREDITS

Studio Teachers . . . . . . . . . . RHONA GORDON

ELISE GANZ

HONORE SATO

ADRIA AUGUST

RHODA FINE

Kono Eiga wo Tsukutta Hito

(We Made This Movie)

ATSUSHI AIKAWA KOICHI ASANO

SEIKO AZUMA NAOMI ATSUTA

YUKI AMAMI NAO AMISAKI

SHOKICHI ARAI KINO ARAI

KAKU ARAKAWA ALEXANDRA WEIHRAUCH

TSUTOMU AWADA KUNITOSHI ISHII

HIROAKI ISHII ASAMI ISHIKADO

MINAMI ICHIKAWA AKIHIKO ISHIZUMI

SHIMPEI ISE FUMIKO ISOMAE

KEIICHI ITAGAKI TORU ITABASHI

AKIO ICHIMURA SHUNTARO ICHIMURA

KAORI ITO KYOHEI ITO

TAKAYASU ITO NOZOMU ITO

HISAYO ITO JUNKO ITO

KEIKO ITOGAWA KAZUMI INAKI

TAKESHI INAMURA RYOKO INA

SHUJI INOUE MASAFUMI INOUE

YOKO IHIRA TAKESHI IMAIZUMI

TOMOMI IMAI KENJI IMURA

YOSHITAKE IWAKAMI SHUN IWASAWA

EMIKO IWAYANAGI FUTOSHI UEDA

YUHEI UEDA YOSHIHIRO UENO

SEIICHIRO UJIIE SAORI UCHIDA

NOBUMASA UCHIDA HISANORI UNOKI

YUKARI UMEBAYASHI EVAN MA

NATSUKI EBISAWA KUMIKO OTA

AKANE OTANI KUMIKO OTANI

SHINJI OTSUKA YASUKO OTOMO

NOZOMI OHASHI MINORU OHASHI

MAKOTO OHARA MAYUMI OMURA

TAKASHI OMORI KAZUO OGA

KEN OKADA TOMOKO OKADA

HIROFUMI OKITA ATSUSHI OKUI

SEIJI OKUDA RENA OKUYAMA

SHO OGOSHI MASAKO OSADA

KAZUYOSHI ONODA HIKARU ONODA

AKIKO OMI HIROYUKI ORIHARA

MEGUMI KAGAWA YUKIKO KAKITA

WAKAKO KAKU KOJI KASAMATSU

NAOMI KASUGAI TOMIE KATAOKA

MASATAKA KATO EIKO KANAZAWA

YUKIE KANEKO ASUKA KANAZAWA

TAKUMI KANENO YUKI KAMETA

TOSHIYUKI KAWABATA TSUTOMU KAWAHIGASHI

KENICHI KAWAHITO KUNIHIRO KAWABE

TAKEHISA KAWAMATA FUMIE KAWAMATA

KOJI KISHIMOTO TAKU KISHIMOTO

NORIYUKI KITAKAWACHI SATOKO KITAZAWA

YASUYUKI KITAZAWA ERIKO KIMURA

RYOSUKE KIYOKAWA HARUNA KIRYU

OSAMU KUGE HIROKO KUNISHIMA

AYA KUBOTA AKANE KUMAKURA

SATOSHI KUMAKURA SETSUKO KURIHARA

YUTAKA KUROKOCHI KITARO KOSAKA

MISA KOKUBO TOMOYUKI KOJIMA

TAMAKI KOJO RIE KOJO

YOSHINOBU KOSUGI SHINJI GOTO

KENICHI KONISHI KAZUMI KOBAYASHI

SHINJI KOYASU MICHIYO KOYANAGI

MASAKIYO KOYAMA MARIKO KONTA

KATSUYA KONDO RIE KONDO

FUMIE KONNO JUNYA SAITO

SHIRO SAITO SUMIKO SAITO

CHIKASHI SAITO HIROYUKI SAITO

MASANORI SAITO MASAYA SAITO

MIYUKI SAITO YUKA SAITO

YOSHIMI SAGAWA SATOMI SASAKI

HIROMI SASAKI MUTSUMI SASAKI

MIHO SATA AYUMI SATO

SHIHO SATO TAKASHI SATO

TOSHIKAZU SATO MASAKO SATO

MIKI SATO MITSUO SATO

YURIKO SATO FUYUKI SAWADA

RITSUKO SHIINA TETSU SHINAGAWA

YUKIO SHINOHARA YOSHIMI SHIBATA

HIDENORI SHIBAHARA YUMIKO SHIBUSAWA

HARUKA SHIBUYA MINE SHIBUYA

YOSHISHIGE SHIMATANI MIYUKI SHIMAMIYA

YUJI SHIMAMOTO AKIKO SHIMIZU

TOICHIRO SHIRAISHI NOBUKO SHIRAKI

YUICHIRO SUEYOSHI TAKAHITO SUGAWARA

SACHIKO SUGINO KOTARO SUGIYAMA

KAZUNE SUZUKI DAIZO SUZUKI

TOSHIO SUZUKI YASUHIRO SUZUKI

MAKIKO SUZUKI MARIKO SUZUKI

RISA SUZUKI STEVE ALPERT

SHINTARO SEKI TAKESHI SEYAMA

YUKARI TAI SHINICHI TAKAI

HIDEYUKI TAKAI TOSHIYA TAKASAKI

TAKAHIRO TAKASHIMA TATSUYOSHI TAKASHIMA

YUNA TAKASE KENTARO TAKAHASHI

NOZOMU TAKAHASHI HIROMI TAKAHASHI

2

MOYO TAKAHASHI YOHEI TAKAMATSU

NORIKO TAKAMI KAZUHIRO TAKAMURA

NOBUYUKI TAKEUCHI AKIKO TAKEGUCHI

YOJI TAKESHIGE MIKIKO TAKEDA

HIROMI TAKENO HITOMI TATENO

AKIO TANAKA ATSUKO TANAKA

KAZUYOSHI TANAKA NAOYA TANAKA

HIDEO TANAKA HIROOMI TANAKA

SETSUYA TANABE KAORI TANI

KUMIKO TANIHIRA YURI TABATA

NORIYOSHI TAMAGAWA ATSUSHI TAMURA

ATSUSHI TAMURA CHIEKO TAMURA

YUKIE TAMURA SATOSHI CHIDA

KAYO CHIBA TAKAYUKI TSUKAGOSHI

KEIKO TSUKAMOTO CHIHIRO TSUKUE

KIYOKO TSUGE NORIKO TSUSHI

DAISUKE TSUCHIYA MASARU TSUCHIYA

RYOKO TSUTSUI KEIKO TSUNOKAWA

AKIKO TESHIMA YUSUKE TEZUKA

KUMIKO TERADA MASAKO TERADA

HIROKI DOI MAKIKO DOI

YUKO DOZONO YAYOI TOKI

GEORGE TOKORO KEIKO TOMIZAWA

MAYU NAITO TAKASHI NAGAI

HIROTAKA NAKAO RIE NAKAGOME

YOSHIKO NAGASAKI MAI NAKAZATO

SHINTARO NAKAZAWA MINAKO NAGASAWA

KAZUSHIGE NAGASHIMA AI NAKANISHI

MASAMI NAKANISHI YOHEI NAKANO

KATSUTOSHI NAKAMURA MEGUMI NAKAMURA

TOMOKO NARAOKA YURIA NARA

KUMI NANJO JUNICHI NISHIOKA

NOBORU NISHIO DAISUKE NISHIKATA

TAKASHI NISHIKAWA HIROMI NISHIKAWA

YOICHI NISHIKAWA SOICHI NISHIZAKI

NOBUTAKA NISHIDA SUMIE NISHIDO

AYAKA NISHIHARA YUMIKO NISHIMURA

YOSHIAKI NISHIMURA SUEKO NUMAZAWA

SHINSUKE NONAKA SHIN HASHIDA

TAKASHI HASHIMOTO NAOTO HATAKEYAMA

MOTOHIRO HATANAKA JUN HATTORI

SHINICHI HATORI HIDEKI HAMASU

SUMINOBU HAMADA MIWAKO HAMADA

MASAKO HAYASHI RYUJI HAYASHI

YASUHISA HARADA MIEKO HARA

MEGUMI HIGAKI YUKO HIGASHI

JOE HISAISHI TOKIE HIDARI

EIMI HIRAOKA MAYUMI HIRAKATA

MAIKO HIRANO KYOKO HIRABAYASHI

HIROAKI HIRABAYASHI SAYAKA HIRAHARA

HARUNA HIROSE SHUNSUKE HIROTA

SOONHA HWANG RIE FUKUI

KEIJI FUKUDA NOBUHIRO FUKUDA

YOSHIKAZU FUKUTOME RYOICHI FUKUYAMA

KAORI FUJII TAKAAKI FUJIOKA

MASAKO FUJITA YASUAKI FUJITA

EIKO FUJITSU NAOYA FUJIMAKI

SUZUKO FUJIMOTO MAYA FUJIMORI

MAKIKO FUTAKI SHOGO FURUYA

KO HOSAKA TADAHIRO HOSHI

KOJI HOSHINO NORITADA HOSOKAWA

TOMOKO HOSOKAWA TAKESHI HONDA

KIYOKO MAKITA SHOJI MAKIHARA

AYA MAJIMA TOMOYO MASUDA

OSAMU MASUYAMA MARIKO MATSUO

RIEKO MATSUKI MIWA MATSUKUMA

ATSUKO MATSUSHITA YASUSHI MATSUSHITA

EIKO MATSUSHIMA YOSHIKI MATSUNAGA

RIE MATSUBARA MAIKO MATSUMURA

MEGUMI MATSUMOTO WATARU MATSUMOTO

REIKO MANO SATOKO MIURA

YUTA MIZUKI NOBUYUKI MITANI

HIROKO MINOWA YUKIKO MIYASAKA

HAYAO MIYAZAKI TOMOKO MIYATA

KAN MIYOSHI NORIHIKO MIYOSHI

YUMIKO MIYOSHI YUKO MURANAKA

HARUHISA MUROKAWA YUICHIRO MOCHIZUKI

YOKO MOTOYA MASAKI MORITA

NAOMI MORI MIKIO MORI

NAOYA MORITANI HIROSHI YAJIMA

MIKA YASUDA MICHIYO YASUDA

YOSHIRO YASUNAGA HISAKO YAJI

SAORI YANAGA TOMONORI YANAGIBASHI

AKIKO YANO KIKUYO YANO

MAIKO YAHATA JUNJI YABUTA

MASATSUGU YABE MASARU YABE

AKIHIRO YAMAUCHI YUKARI YAMAURA

HIROOMI YAMAKAWA TOMOKO YAMAGUCHI

MIKA YAMAGUCHI FUMIO YAMAZAKI

MAI AKIHIKO YAMASHITA

YUKIO YAMASHITA KAZUKO YAMADA

KENICHI YAMADA SHINICHIRO YAMADA

IKUKO YAMAMOTO TAMAMI YAMAMOTO

TETSUYA YAMAMOTO MICHIKO YAMAMOTO

YOSHIE YAMAMOTO EIJI YAMAMORI

MASAFUMI YOKOTA RUMI HIIRAGI

CHIE YOSHIIKE HIDEAKI YOSHIO

KAZUYOSHI YOSHIKAWA NOBORU YOSHIDA

MEGUMI YOSHIDA MITSUO YOSHINO

KAZUKO YOSHIYUKI KENICHI YODA

CREDITS

3

CREDITS

RYUTA YONEZAWA HIROMASA YONEBAYASHI

ITSUMA WAKASUGI SHIGERU WAKITA

KASUMI WADA KEIKO WATANABE

NATSUMI WATANABE HIROYUKI WATANABE

YOICHI WATANABE USHIKO SHACHI & MAGURO

AI TSUKAMOTO YASUHIRO MAEDA

ANIME TOROTORO

IMAGICA

GONZO

CONTINENTAL FAR EAST INC.

NEW JAPAN PHILHARMONIC

STUDIO KHARA

STUDIO COCKPIT

SUMIDA TRIPHONY HALL

STUDIO TAKURANKE

TATSUNOKO PRODUCTION

T2 STUDIO

DIGITALCIRCUS

DOGA KOBO

TOKYO T.V. CENTER

TOHOKUSHINSHA FILM

TOKUMA JAPAN COMMUNICATIONS

NAKAMURA PRODUCTION

NATS NIHON AUTOMOBILE COLLEGE

PUG POINT · JAPAN

FUJIOKA FUJIMAKI

BRAIN’S · BASE

YAMAHA MUSIC COMMUNICATIONS

THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN

RITSUYUKAI CHOIR

LAWSON

WONDER CITY

Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOE HISAISHI

“Mother Sea”

Lyrics by Wakako Kaku and Hayao Miyazaki

Based on the Poem “Sakana” by Wakako Kaku

Music Composition and Arrangement

by Joe Hisaishi

Performed by Masako Hayashi

“Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea”

Lyrics by Katsuya Kondo

Additional Lyrics by Hayao Miyazaki

Music Composition and Arrangement

by Joe Hisaishi

Vocals Produced by Ali Dee

Performed by Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas

“Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea” (Remix)

Lyrics by Katsuya Kondo

Additional Lyrics by Hayao Miyazaki

Music Composition and Arrangement

by Joe Hisaishi

Produced by Ali Dee

Performed by Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas

Special Thanks to

Brett Dicker, Evan Golden, Flo Grace,

Katelin Holloway, Rieko Izutsu-Vajirasarn,

Elyse Klaits, Tania Oskanian, Cindy Pecuch,

Jerry Schmitz, John Swartz, Jill Woods

MPAA # 45429

Distributed by

WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

MOTION PICTURES

4

PONYO

“A little boy and a little girl, love and responsibility,

the ocean and life—these things, and that which is most elemental to them,

are depicted in the most basic way in ‘PONYO.’”

~ Hayao Miyazaki, Director

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (“Spirited Away”) takes moviegoers

on a magical new adventure that celebrates the power of innocent love and the beauty of the

natural world in his latest animated triumph, “PONYO.” Inspired by Hans Christian

Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little

Mermaid,” “PONYO” tells the

story of a young and overeager

goldfish named Ponyo and her

quest to become human. An

enchanting and visually stunning

blend of imagination, humor,

action, mystery and romance,

“PONYO” was the top film in

Japan in 2008 and is the eighthhighest-

grossing film in Japanese history. To date, the film has grossed more than $165

million worldwide. Walt Disney Studios presents a Studio Ghibli film: “PONYO” comes to

U.S. theaters on August 14, 2009, featuring an all-star English-language voice cast.

In addition to newcomers NOAH CYRUS and FRANKIE JONAS, the vocal cast of

“PONYO” includes Academy Award®-winning actors CATE BLANCHETT and CLORIS

LEACHMAN; Oscar®-nominated actors MATT DAMON, LIAM NEESON and LILY

TOMLIN, Emmy® Award winners TINA FEY and BETTY WHITE. Collectively, White,

Leachman and Tomlin have earned a staggering 56 Emmy® nominations, taking home the

statuette 19 times.

Miyazaki, whose “Spirited Away” captured the Oscar® for Best Animated Film in 2003,

helmed the Academy Award®-nominated film “Howl’s Moving Castle,” and the acclaimed

films “My Neighbor Totoro,” “Princess Mononoke,” “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “Castle in

the Sky.” The director describes his newest film simply: “A little boy and a little girl, love and

responsibility, the ocean and life—these things, and that which is most elemental to them, are

depicted in the most basic way in ‘PONYO.’”

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

5

A GOLDFISH FINDS HER WAY

“PONYO” was produced by Toshio Suzuki (“Spirited Away”), a longtime friend and

associate of Miyazaki. Chief creative officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios

John Lasseter (“Toy Story,” “Toy Story 2,” “Cars”) directed the English-language voice talent,

along with Brad Lewis (producer of “Ratatouille”) and Peter Sohn (director of “Partly

Cloudy,” story/animation “The

Incredibles”). Joining Lasseter

as executive producers of the

English-language version are

Kathleen Kennedy and Frank

Marshall. The celebrated team’s

work includes “The Curious

Case of Benjamin Button,”

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom

of the Crystal Skull,”

“Seabiscuit,” “The Sixth Sense,” “Schindler’s List,” the “Back to the Future” trilogy and the

three “Jurassic Park” films. Melissa Mathison, who wrote the screenplay for “E.T., the Extra-

Terrestrial,” adapted Miyazaki’s script for the English-language version of “PONYO.” Joe

Hisaishi, a frequent Miyazaki collaborator, composed the film’s atmospheric score.

A TALE OF MISCHIEF, FUN AND FRIENDSHIP

A Goldfish Finds Her Way

Memorable characters, imaginative visuals and irresistible charm make this latest

masterpiece from the visionary Miyazaki an unforgettable film-going experience.

Ponyo (voiced by Noah Cyrus) is a mischievous and adventurous little goldfish, who drifts

away from the undersea home she shares with her father, the wizard Fujimoto (voiced by Liam

Neeson), and hundreds of little sisters. Far from her home, she meets Sosuke (voiced by

Frankie Jonas), a 5-year-old boy who lives by the sea with his mother Lisa (voiced by Tina

Fey). Sosuke gently cares for his new pet and quickly wins Ponyo’s heart.

Ponyo’s father, desperate for

his daughter to return to their

undersea home, uses his magic

to bring her back, much to

Ponyo’s dismay. But Ponyo, ever

the stubborn little goldfish,

longs to return to her special

friend. She magically transforms

herself into a little girl and finds

her way back to Sosuke’s house

where she and her friend embark on a series of adventures.

“In one of my favorite scenes, Ponyo arrives at Sosuke’s house as a girl while a storm

rages,” says Lasseter. “Sosuke’s mother makes noodles for her—which she discovers she

loves. It’s so special, because Ponyo is a little girl but she’s a brand-new little girl and

everything is brand new to her.”

But Ponyo’s desire to be human upsets the delicate balance of nature and triggers a gigantic

6

storm. Only Ponyo’s mother, a beautiful sea goddess (voiced by Cate Blanchett), can restore

nature’s balance and perhaps make Ponyo’s dreams come true.

“‘PONYO’ transcends age groups: everybody enjoys this film,” says Lasseter. “I’ve

watched it with many audiences and people are truly entertained by it. There’s a depth and a

beauty to the film; it really works for all ages.”

A FILM WITH CHARACTER

Who’s Who in “PONYO”

PONYO (voiced by Noah Cyrus)

The cute appearance of the little goldfish-girl belies her formidable powers. Inquisitive and

self-assured, Ponyo has carefully planned her escape from the Coral Tower where her father

Fujimoto lives, but she isn’t sure where she’ll end up. “She likes to explore and she’s a very

happy fish,” says Cyrus of her

character. When Ponyo meets

Sosuke, she quickly learns to

love him. She delights in the

newness of the human world,

which is completely alien to her

with such wonders as ham,

instant noodles and a flashlight.

Ponyo uses her magical powers

calmly and casually; they’re

nothing special to her. The balance of nature hinges on her decision to venture beyond the

limits her father has set for her. Cyrus says “PONYO”—the character and the movie—has

something for everyone. “Ponyo loves Sosuke and she is very funny. It’s a very funny movie

and there’s a lot of adventure.”

SOSUKE (voiced by Frankie Jonas)

Five-year-old Sosuke is a kind-hearted, well-mannered little boy who’s unusually mature

for his age. When he finds a little goldfish while playing with his toy boat on the beach below

his house, he names her Ponyo.

He treats her with a gentle

affection that quickly wins her

heart. “Sosuke—what a sweet

child!” says Melissa Mathison,

who adapted Miyazaki’s

screenplay for the English-

language version. “I made every

attempt to solidify it as Sosuke’s

story. His bewilderment, his

maturity, his humor and his taciturn methods of communicating were quite sweet.” Sosuke is

a brave, serious child, although he has a minor mischievous streak: he giggles when Ponyo

spits water all over his fussy classmate. The respect and consideration he shows the elderly

ladies at the senior center reveal his good heart. Says Jonas: “‘PONYO’ is very humorous, and

7

A FILM WITH CHARACTER

A FILM WITH CHARACTER

so is Sosuke. There’s a lot of adventure and action and some insane parts that are really funny.

Kids’ll love it. Adults will like it because it’s about bringing the family together. Don’t be mad

at each other, always be together. Always, always love each other.”

LISA (voiced by Tina Fey)

Sosuke’s mother Lisa is hard-working and affectionate, but perpetually short of time.

Working at the senior center and caring for her son leave her tired and impatient with her

husband Koichi. Sosuke’s father

often spends days at sea, leaving

all the work at home for her.

“Here is an independent woman,

not a single mother, technically,

but perhaps a de facto one,” says

Brad Lewis, co-director of the

English-language version.

“Because of her independent

spirit, she feels contemporary.

And she was funny in bold ways.” Lisa juggles her obligations ably: when Ponyo appears at

her doorstep, she cares for the little girl, serving her warm milk and honey and ramen noodles;

she struggles with her home generator, looks after Sosuke and goes to check on the elderly

women in the supernatural storm Ponyo inadvertently generates. No wonder she’s tired.

FUJIMOTO (voiced by Liam Neeson)

The put-upon alchemist Fujimoto commands formidable powers, but he realizes he can’t

stop his daughter Ponyo from doing what she chooses. His red hair and flamboyant costumes

make him look like an older version of Howl, from “Howl’s Moving Castle.” An

environmentalist at heart,

Fujimoto is deeply affected by

the trash that has been cast into

the sea. He creates magic

potions that help keep the sea

healthy and dreams of restoring

the seas to extraordinary vitality.

“My character journeys under

water in a strange support craft,”

says Neeson. “He and the

audience see garbage littering the ocean floors. It packs a very visual message into the

animation of some of the horrors we’re doing to the oceans of the world.”

8

KOICHI (voiced by Matt Damon)

The captain of a large, sea-going vessel, Koichi often has to break his promise to be home

for dinner, which gets him in

trouble with Lisa. Sosuke finds

himself in the role of referee

between them. Koichi is clearly

proud of his son, boasting of his

ability to flash signals to the ship

from a mechanical beacon, and

he loves his wife. But his work

often takes him away from his

family.

TOKI (voiced by Lily Tomlin), NORIKO (voiced by Cloris Leachman) and YOSHIE

(voiced by Betty White)

The three elderly ladies at the senior center know and like Lisa and her son. Sosuke is

obviously their pet: he speaks to them politely and brings them small presents. When he finds

Ponyo, he eagerly shows her to

them. Toki is often crabby in a

comic way, complaining about

her joints. Noriko is the quietest

member of the trio, while Yoshie

is the most maternal. Says

actress Betty White: “The little

boy and I have a great rapport.

We really love each other.

Someone doesn’t have to be your

real grandmother—you can love somebody enough to think of her as your grandmother.”

GRAN MAMARE (voiced by Cate Blanchett)

Miyazaki describes Ponyo’s goddess-mother as “Mother of the Sea.” A beautiful apparition,

she commands the power to grant Ponyo’s wish to become a human. But first she confers with

Lisa, to see if she’s ready to care

for a rambunctious new

daughter, and she asks Sosuke if

he’s willing to accept Ponyo for

who she is and who she will

become. “The character was

gorgeously animated,” says

Lewis. “And Cate has one of the

most beautiful voices you’ll ever

hear in your life. It was so

powerful when she started reading the beautiful prose.”

ARTIST, STORYTELLER, LEGEND

9

ARTIST, STORYTELLER, LEGEND

THE FANTASTIC VISIONS OF HAYAO MIYAZAKI

Artist, Storyteller, Legend

One of the most respected and admired filmmakers working today, Hayao Miyazaki

consistently transports moviegoers into worlds of fantasy unlike anything they’ve experienced.

The only foreign director to win the Oscar® for Best Animated Feature, Miyazaki is a hero to

animators, animation fans and audiences around the world.

“He is one of the great

filmmakers of our time and has

been a tremendous inspiration to

our generation of animators,”

says Lasseter. “At Pixar, when

we have a problem that we can’t

seem to solve, we often look at

one of Miyazaki’s films.”

Miyazaki says the look of the

ocean in “PONYO” was

significant. “If a child looks at the sea, it could look like a living creature,” says the director.

“I made the film with the idea that the ocean is a living thing.”

“It reminded me of when I was on holiday at the beach with my boys,” says Lasseter. “The

waves were very different—coming up out of the water and smashing right on the boys. They

were scared, so I started giving the waves personality—like they’re hiding from the kids and

waiting for them to come close and then they’d reach up and get them.

“In ‘PONYO,’ Miyazaki actually made the ocean a character,” Lasseter continues. “The

waves become creatures and the style of the water is actually very believable for the world that

he created.”

“A little seaside town and a house at the top of a cliff. A small cast of characters. The ocean

as a living presence,” says Miyazaki. “It’s a world where magic and alchemy are accepted as

part of the ordinary. The sea below, like our subconscious mind, intersects with the wave-

tossed surface above. By

distorting normal space and

contorting normal shapes, the

sea is animated not as a

backdrop to the story, but as one

of its principal characters.”

Miyazaki’s treatment of the

natural world in his films

reflects his commitment to

preserving the Earth. Much of

“PONYO” takes place underwater, featuring a beautiful, awe-inspiring ocean that’s startling in

its majesty. But it is also under assault. Early in the film, Ponyo is actually trapped in an old

jar tumbling through the ocean; she’s ultimately rescued by her future friend Sosuke.

“‘PONYO’ can be seen on lots of different levels,” says Liam Neeson, the voice of Ponyo’s

environmentalist father. “There’s an ecological side to the film that’s painted in very graphic

detail.”

10

“That speaks to the kind of stories Miyazaki always tells: he forces us to look at what

human beings are doing to the Earth,” says Kathleen Kennedy, executive producer of the

English-language version. “There’s an underlying message in all of his movies that has to do

with conservation and the environment and taking care of the place we live in.”

Of course, Miyazaki’s passion extends to the visuals his team creates. Animated features

have become increasingly realistic as filmmakers employ computer graphics for life-like,

three-dimensional settings and characters. Yet Miyazaki showcases the power of drawn

animation to create fantasies, offering a personal vision of an alternate reality. Instead of

rendering thousands of individual blades of grass bending in the wind, he suggests a breeze

passing over a grassy hillside by moving a rippling line of color over a painted background.

The results suggest the difference between poetry and prose. Miyazaki’s philosophy was

summed up in a sign he once

posted for his animation team:

“Do everything by hand, even

when using a computer.”

Music is an essential element

in all of Miyazaki’s films. For

“PONYO,” the director called on

Joe Hisaishi, a frequent

Miyazaki collaborator, to

compose the film’s distinctive

score. “When Mr. Hisaishi heard about Ponyo’s story he said the melody came to him right

away,” says Miyazaki. “He ran back home and started working on it, then played me the tune

on the piano in the studio.

“Katsuya Kondo, our supervising animator, has a daughter a little younger than Ponyo,”

continues Miyazaki. “They helped create the lyrics for the title song when they sang together

at bath time.”

“PONYO” HEADS OVERSEAS

Creating the English-Language Version

Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall were tapped by Studio Ghibli to bring “PONYO” to

American audiences. “There is such a legacy that Miyazaki has contributed to the world of

animation that I think everybody who came to the project considered it a privilege to be a part

of it,” says Marshall. “We want to introduce this movie to the family film-going audience

because it is a movie that is for all ages. Adults will really enjoy taking their kids because

there’s something there for them as well. It really is an amazing ride when you experience a

Miyazaki film.”

“Miyazaki’s producer in Japan, Toshio Suzuki, contacted us and asked if we would consider

working with them to bring Miyazaki’s work to North America,” explains Kennedy. “It was an

interesting question because we usually have the conversation in reverse: How will our movies

work in Japan?

“The amazing thing with Miyazaki’s movies, and we can attest to this with our own

children, is that kids will even watch them in Japanese,” Kennedy continues. “The visuals in

his work are so extraordinary, and his ability to communicate story and emotion and character

CREATING THE ENGLISH VERSION

11

CREATING THE ENGLISH VERSION

are so specific that the visuals tell you the story. Add to that an outstanding English-language

voice cast. We felt very strongly that there was an opportunity to take ‘PONYO’ and showcase

Miyazaki’s work as a global experience.”

“‘PONYO’ is just stunning visually and tells a wonderful story. The magic in the film, the

adventure itself are beyond

description,” says co-executive

producer John Lasseter. “It’s so

beautiful and full of heart and it

features great characters. I want

people all over the country to see

it, fall in love with it, and

discover Miyazaki’s whole

library.”

Headed by Lasseter, a team of

creative talent was assembled to help make Miyazaki’s newest animated masterpiece

accessible to English speaking audiences throughout the world. Lasseter called on Pixar

veterans Peter Sohn and Brad Lewis to share with him the directing duties of the English-

language voice cast.

“It’s an English translation of Japanese poetry,” says Lewis. “We’re interpreting the spirit

of what Miyazaki created. The first task was getting a translation of the overall story to help

us understand the character motivations so we could properly cast the voices. What’s

interesting is that sometimes a Japanese voice may not be the same vocal tone we want to use

for the English-language version. There’s no literal translation for the story points, the

character motivations, the vocal tones or vocal performances.”

The filmmakers also needed an English-language version of Miyazaki’s script. The job

called for someone who would not only understand Miyazaki’s vision, but could make it work

in English and within the confines of existing animation. “It was a challenge to figure out who

should do the English script,” says Kennedy. “Melissa Mathison did the screenplay for ‘E.T.,’

and the minute she was introduced to Miyazaki’s films, she was captivated. She said, ‘I

absolutely want to do this.’”

“‘Miyazaki’ was all I needed to hear when asked if I would tackle this adaptation. He is a

great artist and any association with him would be an honor,” says Mathison. “It was an

exciting and unusual assignment—quick, down and dirty—something I had never done

before. Definitely an interesting challenge: ‘adapt the Japanese translation to English, fit the

words to the mouths, and please do it in four days!’ And, the project being handed to me was

nothing less than the latest film of an artistic genius.

“I have long been a dabbler in Japanese culture: literature, movie, art, religions. I am an

admirer of the culture,” Mathison continues. “I wanted to clarify—crystallize—a Japanese

story for a Western audience. I was to adapt while retaining the social touches that make the

story particularly Japanese in nature. I did not want to underestimate the power of the original

aspiration—a fairy tale told within the world of a small fishing village in Japan. I wanted the

emotions and the humor of the language to match that inherent in the drawings.”

“Obviously, we couldn’t do a literal translation, which made it a little more difficult, but

Melissa wrote the script in a relatively short time,” says Kennedy. “When we showed it to

Miyazaki and Suzuki, they were amazed at how she managed to bridge the translation so that

12

Miyazaki’s story came through.”

Traditionally, when animated films are created, the voices are recorded first, followed by

the visuals, so synchronization is achieved during the animation process. When a Japanese

animated film like “PONYO” is prepared for American release, the actors must try to match

the “lip flaps” of their characters while giving a convincing reading. The differences in the

cadence, word order, sound and grammar of English and Japanese only add to the difficulty

of assembling a satisfactory translation.

“Doing a voice for animation is hard work, but John [Lasseter] was there and Melissa

[Mathison] was there,” says Liam Neeson, who provides the voice of Ponyo’s father, Fujimoto.

“Sometimes we’d have to change words, if they didn’t quite fit the Japanese phrasing, and

Melissa would come up with an alternate word. The script was not set in concrete.”

Filmmakers recruited top talent when it came to casting the English-language version. “The

casting was incredibly fun,” says Kennedy. “People who already knew Miyazaki’s work gave

us an immediate ‘yes’ on the telephone. For anyone who didn’t know his work, they felt like

they’d made an exciting discovery. In the end, we put together a pretty phenomenal cast.”

“There are three generations of actors in the cast—from Noah Cyrus to Tina Fey to Cloris

Leachman,” adds Marshall. “It was kind of fun to call Cloris, who I worked with back in 1970,

and say, ‘Hey, you wanna be in a Miyazaki film?’ She was thrilled.”

With a roster of characters that includes children, elderly ladies, an alchemist, a goldfish

and a goddess, “PONYO” demanded an unusual array of voice actors. Fortunately, Kennedy

and Marshall had an “in-house” assistant to help them select the younger talent. Kennedy

explains: “Our daughter, Meghan, who’s 10 years old, said, ‘Miley Cyrus has a sister: she’s

really talented, and her name is Noah. And there’s also a Bonus Jonas—the Jonas Brothers

have a brother named Frankie. Frankie and Noah Cyrus are the same age.’ We looked at each

other and said, ‘Oh my God, this is perfect!’ And when we went to their families, they were

immediately interested.”

The young duo even recorded a song for the English-language version of “PONYO.” But

the movie itself remains the highlight for Jonas. He recalls the day he got a DVD of the

original “PONYO” to review. “I took it home that night and watched it on my computer and

thought, ‘Wow! I’m gonna be in

this movie, this is gonna be

awesome!’” says the 8-year-old.

“I got all of the Miyazaki films

and they were all really good.

Anime is cooler because it has

more color and it has a different

vibe—I like that about it.”

Jonas was even more excited

to see the finished version of the

English-language “PONYO.” “You hear your voice and you think, ‘Wow! People are gonna

like this,’” he says.

“Frankie is one of the sweetest kids in the world,” says co-director Brad Lewis. “He’s a cool

little guy. His voice, his attitude, how hard he wanted to work—it was instantly clear to us all.

And Noah has this lightning personality—Ponyo has it too, a self-assured little girl, so Noah

was perfect for the role. Together with the help of [co-director] Pete Sohn, they did a

CREATING THE ENGLISH VERSION

13

TRADITIONAL ANIMATION

phenomenal job.”

But Cyrus says it wasn’t easy to provide the English voice to a goldfish who’s animated to

speak in Japanese. “It’s hard, because you have to make your words go exactly with the words

in the animation, so it’s kind of

weird, but it’s really cool to be

Ponyo.”

Lisa, Sosuke’s mother, called

for an actress who could capture

the character’s humor. “When we

started tossing out names we

thought instantly of Tina Fey,”

says Lewis. “She brings a

naturally funny quality to any

situation and has a real strength in her voice. We all had to smile when we heard Tina as Lisa.”

Filmmakers were similarly pleased with the casting of Liam Neeson as the voice of Ponyo’s

father. “He has such a dramatic ability to make minute changes in his vocal range and he so

beautifully walks the line between authority and caretaking that you get a perfect sense of a

nurturing father who just has some foibles,” says Lewis. “Liam did a beautiful job.”

Neeson was a fan of Miyazaki’s work: “Miyazaki has the ability to draw you into the story

from the first frame of this magical world,” he says. “I know ‘PONYO’ is partly inspired by

‘The Little Mermaid,’ but there are other legends and mythological stories in there, too, I think.

I certainly saw some ‘King Arthur’ as well.”

Betty White shared similar affection for “PONYO”—and the experience. “Voiceover is

akin to stealing,” laughs Betty White. “You don’t have to memorize your lines: You’re reading

them. And you don’t have to put your eyelashes on, so it’s a lovely way to go. But you do have

to convey a character, using just your voice. I was captivated by the film from the word go.

Within five minutes, these characters literally come to life. You know them. The little boy is

wonderful. And little red-headed Ponyo is so cute, you just want to pick her up and hold her!

I can’t remember seeing anything quite like it. I use the word genius for Hayao Miyazaki. His

film takes on a reality for you in no time at all. Oh, it’s lovely!”

HAYAO MIYAZAKI AND STUDIO GHIBLI

Embracing Traditional Animation

In recent years, Japanese animation or anime has emerged as an increasingly popular and

influential art form in the United States—and around the world. Universities, colleges and

even high schools have large anime clubs, and every week, fan conventions are held across

North America.

Modern Japanese animation began in the late 1950s, as the country rebuilt from the

devastation of World War II. Among the first postwar-Japanese features were Taiji Yabushita’s

“White Snake Enchantress” (1958) and Toei Animation’s adaptation of Wu Chen En’s 16thcentury

novel, “The Journey to the West—The adventures of the Monkey King” (1960). The

latter was released in America in 1961 as “Alakazam the Great.” To date, Japanese studios

have produced more than 4,000 animated features, television series and direct-to-video

projects.

14

Born in Tokyo in 1941, Miyazaki became interested in animation after seeing “White

Snake Enchantress.” After studying political science and economics at prestigious Gakushuin

University, Miyazaki turned his back on a conventional business career to become an

animator.

As an in-betweener at Toei, Miyazaki worked with assistant director and mentor Isao

Takahata. Takahata was later made director of the 1968 feature “Little Norse Prince Valiant,”

with Miyazaki serving as scene designer and key animator. They were given considerable

freedom to emphasize strong characterizations and character interaction and the result was

Toei’s most critically acclaimed movie at the time.

Miyazaki made his feature directorial debut in 1979 with “Lupin III: The Castle of

Cagliostro.” With an already-recognizable cinematic style, Miyazaki breathed new life into

Lupin, a thief and James Bond parody created by manga (graphic novel) artist Monkey Punch

years earlier. He followed “Cagliostro” with “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” (1984), an

ecological fable based on his popular manga series. In 1985, Miyazaki and Takahata founded

Studio Ghibli in conjunction with Tokuma Shoten Co., Ltd. The name comes from a scorching

wind that blows across the Sahara desert, as the artists hoped to breathe a hot wind of

excitement into the world of Japanese animation.

At Ghibli, Miyazaki established himself as one of the world’s foremost animation directors

with the rollicking adventure “Castle in the Sky” (1986) and “My Neighbor Totoro” (1988), a

charming environmental tale. “Kiki's Delivery Service” (1989), an engaging story about an

adolescent witch’s coming of age, ushered in a series of box-office hits for Miyazaki,

including “Porco Rosso” (1992), a bittersweet romance about a dashing pilot in the 1930s who

gets turned into a pig. Miyazaki followed “Porco Rosso” with the powerful ecological saga

“Princess Mononoke” (1997). The brilliant “Spirited Away” (2001) became the top-grossing

movie in Japanese history, while “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004) occupies the No. 4 spot.

Disney began its association with Studio Ghibli in 1996 when it agreed to distribute

“Princess Mononoke” and all the earlier Ghibli films. “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” the first

video title released, entered the Top Ten on Billboard’s sales chart and sold more than a million

copies. In 1999, Miramax Films offered a theatrical release of an English-language version of

“Princess Mononoke.” The film received critical acclaim and was released on home video the

following year. Walt Disney Studios presented a theatrical release of Miyazaki’s masterpiece,

“Spirited Away,” in 2002, which won the Oscar® for Best Animated Feature. Walt Disney

Studios Home Entertainment has subsequently released other prestigious Miyazaki and Studio

Ghibli titles in English-language versions for the DVD and video markets.

TRADITIONAL ANIMATION

15

ABOUT THE VOICE CAST

ABOUT THE VOICE CAST

At the age of 8, NOAH CYRUS (Ponyo) is already making her

mark on film and television. Born on January 8, 2000, in Franklin,

Tenn., Cyrus hails from a family of entertainers and is the youngest

daughter of country superstar Billy Ray Cyrus.

Cyrus began acting at the age of 3, playing Gracie Hebert in her

father’s television series “Doc.” Since then, she has made several

guest appearances on Disney Channel’s hit series “Hannah

Montana,” as well as “The Emperor’s New School.” She also

appeared in “Mostly Ghostly,” based on the popular book by R.L.

Stine. Cyrus makes her feature-film debut in “PONYO,” an

animated motion picture by acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki. Cyrus is the voice

of Ponyo, a goldfish who longs to be human. She recorded a song for the film, along with co

star Frankie Jonas.

In addition, Cyrus is co-host of the popular YouTube show “The Noah & Em’s Show,” along

with best friend Emily Grace Reaves.

FRANKIE JONAS (Sosuke) is often referred to as “The Bonus

Jonas” by the fans of the Jonas Brothers, his older brothers’ musical

act. Although the talented 8-year-old actor and singer enjoys

performing with his brothers, he is already actively pursuing his

own career. In May, Jonas began his starring role in the hit Disney

Channel series “Jonas.” His break-out performance as the

mischievous younger brother earned him a Teen Choice Award

nomination. Son to Denise and Kevin Jonas Sr., Frankie Jonas is the

youngest brother of Kevin, Joe and Nick. He was born on September

28, 2000, in Ridgewood, N.J.

TINA FEY (Lisa) writes, executive produces and stars as Liz

Lemon in NBC’s two-time Emmy® Award-winning comedy series

“30 Rock.” Her performance as Liz Lemon has earned Fey an

Emmy®, Golden Globe® and SAG Award®. This year, “30 Rock” was

nominated for a record 22 Emmy Awards, the most nominations of

any comedy series in television history.

Prior to “30 Rock,” Fey completed nine seasons as head writer, cast

member and co-anchor of the “Weekend Update” segment on NBC’s

“Saturday Night Live.” Fey is an Emmy® winner and two-time

Writers Guild Award winner for her work on “Saturday Night Live,”

and Fey also received an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Sarah Palin during the 2008

2009 SNL season.

In 2008, “30 Rock” earned Fey a Producers Guild Award and a Writers Guild Award for

Outstanding Comedy Series. She began work in feature films in 2004 as both a screenwriter

and an actress opposite Lindsay Lohan in the hit comedy “Mean Girls,” which earned her a

16

nomination for a Writers Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Fey most recently starred

alongside “Saturday Night Live” alumna Amy Poehler in the film “Baby Mama” for Universal

Pictures. In the fall, Fey has a cameo appearance in the Ricky Gervais comedy “The Invention

of Lying,” and she just completed production on the 20th Century Fox feature film “Date

Night,” starring with Steve Carell and directed by Shawn Levy, due for release on April 9,

2010. Fey is also a featured voice along with Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. in the

DreamWorks animated film “Oobermind,” currently in production.

Since his motion picture debut in the Arthurian saga “Excalibur,”

LIAM NEESON (Fujimoto) has received numerous awards,

including an Oscar® nomination for the role of Oskar Schindler in

Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List” (1993), and his portrayals of

Irish Republican hero “Michael Collins” (1996) and the

controversial sex therapist Alfred Kinsey in “Kinsey” (2004).

Neeson’s most recent film: Pierre Morel’s “Taken,” was No. 1 at

the box office. Following, Neeson received rave reviews at the 2009

Sundance Festival for “Five Minutes of Heaven.”

Neeson’s portrayal of Alfred Kinsey in Bill Condon’s “Kinsey,” co

starring Laura Linney, garnered him a Best Actor award from the Los Angeles Film Critics

Association. Neeson also starred in the box-office phenomenon “Star Wars: Episode I – The

Phantom Menace” (1999) as Qui-Gon Jinn, the Jedi Master who trains Obi-Wan Kenobi and

young Anakin Skywalker. That same year, he starred opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones in Jan De

Bont’s “The Haunting” (1999).

Neeson also received Best Actor honors at the Venice Film Festival, a Golden Globe® Best

Actor nomination, and London’s prestigious Evening Standard Award for Best Actor for the

title role in Neil Jordan’s “Michael Collins” (1996), which won the Golden Lion at the Venice

Film Festival.

His other credits include Woody Allen’s “Husbands and Wives” (1992), “Ethan Frome”

(1993) with Joan Allen, Michael Apted’s “Nell” (1994), “Before and After” (1996) with Meryl

Streep, and the title role in Michael Canton-Jones’ “Rob Roy” (1995). Neeson appears in the

upcoming Warner Bros. remake of “Clash of the Titans,” slated for release in 2010.

CLORIS LEACHMAN (Noriko) is an Emmy®- and Oscar®winning

actress best known for her roles as the self-involved

neighbor Phyllis on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and Frau

Blücher in Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein.” She recently joined

dancer Corky Ballas as a contestant on season seven of “Dancing

with the Stars.” Leachman has received eight Primetime Emmy

Awards®—more than any other female performer—and one

Daytime Emmy® out of more than 20 nominations. She won the

Oscar® for Best Supporting Actress for “The Last Picture Show.”

Leachman made her feature-film debut in RobertAldrich’s “Kiss

Me Deadly” in 1955, and one year later appeared opposite Paul Newman and Lee Marvin in

“The Rack.” In television, her work includes “The Twilight Zone,” “Rawhide,” “Alfred

Hitchcock Presents” and “Lassie.” Her nosy landlady Phyllis Lindstrom was a fixture on “The

17

ABOUT THE VOICE CAST

ABOUT THE VOICE CAST

Mary Tyler Moore Show” for five years and later featured in the spinoff “Phyllis,” for which

Leachman won a Golden Globe®.

She earned an Emmy® and a SAG Award® nomination for her performance in the HBO

special “Mrs. Harris.” Earlier this year, Leachman began touring “Cloris: The One Woman

Show” and released “Cloris: My Autobiography” (Kensington Books). This year, Leachman

launched a successful new clothing line www.clorisline.com.

Leachman voiced the role of Dola the Pirate in the English-language version of Miyazaki’s

“Castle in the Sky.”

One of America’s foremost comediennes, LILY TOMLIN

(Toki) has received six Emmys®, two Tonys®, a Drama Desk Award,

an Outer Critics’ Circle Award, a CableAce Award, a Grammy®, two

Peabody Awards, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Tomlin made her television debut in 1966 on “The Garry Moore

Show,” followed by appearances on “The Merv Griffin Show.” In

1969, Tomlin joined the cast of “Laugh-In” where her characters of

Ernestine and Edith Ann brought her to national prominence.

Tomlin went on to co-write, with Jane Wagner, and star in six

comedy television specials; she also starred in the HBO special

“And the Band Played On.” Tomlin is also heard as the voice of the science teacher Ms. Frizzle

on the children’s animated series “The Magic School Bus.”

Tomlin appeared on Broadway in 1977 in “Appearing Nitely,” which she followed in 1985

with Wagner’s “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.”

She made her film debut as Linnea, a gospel singer and mother of two deaf children in

Robert Altman’s “Nashville” (1975), which earned her an Academy Award® nomination for

Supporting Actress. Other notable performances followed, including “The Late Show,” “9 to

5,” “The Incredible Shrinking Woman,” “All of Me,” “Big Business,” “Shadows and Fog,”

“Short Cuts,” “Tea with Mussolini,” “I Heart Huckabees,” “A Prairie Home Companion” and

“The Walker,” as well as the film adaptation of “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the

Universe.” Tomlin has received the Crystal Award from Women in Film.

Tomlin played President Bartlett’s assistant, Debbie Fiderer, in the hit NBC series “The

West Wing” from 2002 through 2006. She appeared in the most recent season of “Desperate

Housewives.”

BETTY WHITE (Yoshie) began her career in radio before

moving into local television in Los Angeles at its very beginning on

the West Coast in 1950. After hosting a local television show, she

formed her own production company in partnership with producer

Don Fedderson and writer George Tibbles and produced her first

comedy series: “Life with Elizabeth,” for which she received an

Emmy® in 1952; “The Betty White Show,” a daily NBC network

talk/variety show; and a network situation comedy, “A Date with the

Angels.” She appeared frequently on major variety and game shows,

and was a recurring regular with Jack Paar (over 70 appearances),

Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson (including many with the Mighty Carson Art Players). She

18

also subbed as host on all three shows. She was a regular on “Mama’s Family” as sister Ellen,

a role she created with the rest of the company on “The Carol Burnett Show.”

White’s first appearance on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in the show’s fourth season led

to her becoming a recurring cast member. Her portrayal of Sue Ann Nivens, the Happy

Homemaker, brought two Emmys® for supporting actress in 1974-75 and 1975-76.

In 1970-71 she created, wrote and hosted her syndicated TV animal series, “The Pet Set.”

In 1976, she was awarded the Pacific Pioneers in Broadcasting “Golden Ike” award and the

Genii Award from American Women in Radio and TV. White received her fourth Emmy® for

best daytime game-show host for “Just Men.” Nominated seven times for best actress in a

comedy series for “The Golden Girls,” she won the Emmy the first season in 1985. She then

appeared in the spin-off “The Golden Palace” for one season. Her Emmy for best guest actress

in a comedy series on “The John Larroquette Show” brought her total Emmys to six. In 1997

she was nominated as guest actress for “Suddenly Susan.” The American Comedy Awards

gave her the Funniest Female Award in 1987 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990. In

1995 she was inducted into the Television Academy’s Hall of Fame. Also in 2000 she received

the American Comedy Award for the funniest female guest appearance in a television series

for “Ally McBeal.” In 2002 she made recurring appearances on “That ’70s Show.” White also

has a recurring role on “Boston Legal” and on the daytime drama “The Bold and the

Beautiful.”

White has appeared in several movies for television: starring with Leslie Nielsen in

“Chance of a Lifetime,” “The Retrievers” for Animal Planet, “Stealing Christmas” with Tony

Danza and Lea Thompson and, in 2005 for the Hallmark Channel, a movie called “Annie’s

Point” with Richard Thomas and Amy Davidson.

Her endeavors on the big screen include “Hard Rain” with Morgan Freeman and Christian

Slater, “Dennis the Menace Strikes Again!” as Mrs. Wilson opposite Don Rickles, “Lake

Placid,” “The Story of Us,” and “Bringing Down the House,” with Steve Martin. White

appeared in the recent smash comedy “The Proposal,” opposite Sandra Bullock and Ryan

Reynolds.

She is the author of five books, including “Betty White’s Pet Love,” “Betty White in

Person” and “Here We Go Again: My Life in Television.” Two books were co-authored with

Tom Sullivan, including “The Leading Lady: Dinah’s Story” and “Together.” In February 2006

White was honored by the City of Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Zoo as “Ambassador to the

Animals” for her life-long work for animal welfare.

Since graduating from Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic

Art, CATE BLANCHETT (Gran Mamare) has worked

extensively in the theater, including Company B, a loose ensemble

of actors including Geoffrey Rush, Gillian Jones and Richard

Roxburgh, based at Belvoir St. under the direction of Neil Armfield.

Her roles include Miranda (“The Tempest”), Ophelia (“Hamlet,” for

which she was nominated for a Green Room Award), Nina (“The

Seagull”) and Rose (“The Blind Giant Is Dancing”).

For the Sydney Theater Company, she appeared in Caryl

Churchill’s “Top Girls,” David Mamet’s “Oleanna” (awarded the

Sydney Theater Critics award for Best Actress), Michael Gow’s “Sweet Phoebe” (also for the

19

ABOUT THE VOICE CAST

ABOUT THE VOICE CAST

Croyden Wearhouse, London) and Timothy Dalys “Kafka Dances” (also for the Griffin

Theatre Company), for which she received the Critics Circle award for best newcomer.

For the Almeida Theatre in 1999, Blanchett played Susan Traheren in David Hare’s

“Plenty” on London’s West End.

Her television credits include lead roles in “Bordertown” and “Heartland,” both for the

Australian Broadcasting Commission.

Her film roles include Susan Macarthy in Bruce Beresford’s “Paradise Road,” Lizzie in

“Thank God He Met Lizzie,” an anti-romantic comedy directed by Cherie Nowlan for which

Blanchett was awarded both the Australian Film Institute (AFI) and the Sydney Film Critics

awards for Best Supporting Actress, and Lucinda in “Oscar and Lucinda” opposite Ralph

Fiennes and directed by Gillian Armstrong, a role that earned an AFI nomination for Best

Actress.

In 1998, Blanchett portrayed Queen Elizabeth I in the critically acclaimed “Elizabeth,”

directed by Shekhar Kapur, for which she received a Golden Globe Award® for Best Actress

in a Drama and a BAFTA for Best Actress in a Leading Role as well as Best Actress awards

from the Chicago Film Critics Association, the London Film Critics Association, the Toronto

Film Critics Association, On-line Film Critics, Variety Critics and UK Empire Award. She also

received a Best Actress nomination from the Screen Actors Guild® and the Academy of Motion

Picture Arts and Sciences.

In 1999, Blanchett appeared in Mike Newell’s “Pushing Tin,” Oliver Parker’s “An Ideal

Husband” and Anthony Minghella’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” for which she received a

BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Blanchett also starred in Sam Raimi’s “The

Gift,” and in Sally Potter’s “The Man Who Cried,” which premiered at the Venice Film Festival

and for which Blanchett was awarded Best Supporting Actress by the National Board of

Review and the Florida Critics Circle.

In 200l, Blanchett appeared in Barry Levinson’s “Bandits” with Bruce Willis and Billy Bob

Thornton, for which she received a Golden Globe® nomination and a Screen Actors Guild

Award® nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Blanchett also appeared in Lasse

Hallstrom’s “The Shipping News,” alongside Kevin Spacey, based on the 1994 Pulitzer Prizewinning

novel by Annie Proulx. Blanchett portrayed Galadriel, Queen of the Elves, in “Lord

of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring,” the first installment of Peter Jackson’s trilogy based on

J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels. Blanchett was honored by the National Board of Review as the

2001 Best Supporting Actress for her outstanding supporting performances in “Bandits,” “The

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring,” and “The Shipping News.” She reprised her role

as Galadriel in 2002 for “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” and “The Lord of the Rings:

The Return of the King.”

In 2002, Blanchett was seen in the title role of Gillian Armstrong’s “Charlotte Gray,” based

on Sebastian Faulks’ best-selling novel. Blanchett appeared opposite Giovanni Ribisi in Tom

Tykwer’s “Heaven,” which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and was awarded the Golden

Camera Award.

In 2003, Blanchett was seen in Joel Schumacher’s “Veronica Guerin,” the fact-based story

of the Irish journalist who was slain by drug dealers in 1996. Her performance earned her a

Golden Globe® nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

and a nomination by the Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association for Best Actress.

Blanchett starred in Columbia Pictures’ 2003 thriller “The Missing,” opposite Tommy Lee

20

Jones for director Ron Howard. In early 2004, Blanchett appeared in the film “Coffee &

Cigarettes” for director Jim Jarmusch, portraying two roles opposite each other – herself and

the role of her cousin. Her performances earned her a Best Supporting Female nomination for

the 2005 Independent Spirit Awards.

In July 2004, Blanchett returned to the Sydney Theatre Company to play the title role in

Andrew Upton’s adaptation of “Hedda Gabler.” The play was a critical success earning her the

prestigious Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Play. She also starred in her first

Australian film in several years, “Little Fish,” directed by Rowan Woods, for which she was

awarded Best Actress by the Australian Film Institute.

Blanchett received an Academy Award®, a BAFTA and a SAG Award® for her portrayal of

Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator.” Recognized by several critics’

organizations, Blanchett also received a Golden Globe® nomination.

In 2006 Blanchett was seen in “Babel,” opposite Brad Pitt, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez

Inarritu. The film received a Golden Globe® and was nominated for numerous awards

including an Academy Award® and a SAG Ensemble Award®. Blanchett was also seen in “The

Good German,” costarring with George Clooney, directed by Steven Soderbergh. She was

nominated for Golden Globe, SAG and Academy Awards for “Notes on a Scandal,” opposite

Judi Dench. Also in 2006, Blanchett and her husband, Andrew Upton, were named codirectors

of the Sydney Theatre Company. Their debut season began in 2009.

In 2007, Blanchett reprised her role as Queen Elizabeth in Shekhar Kapur’s “Elizabeth: The

Golden Age.” She was recognized with several award nominations for Best Actress by the

Broadcast Film Critics Association, SAG®, BAFTA and AMPAS. She is one of only five actors

to be nominated for both portrayals of the same character in two different films. Also in 2007,

Blanchett co-starred with Christian Bale, Richard Gere and Heath Ledger in Todd Haynes’

“I’m Not There,” for which she was awarded Best Actress at the Venice International Film

Festival. Additionally, Blanchett received a Golden Globe Award® for Best Supporting

Actress, an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress and nominations by the Broadcast Film

Critics Association, British Academy of Film, SAG and AMPAS. She was also recognized

with the Modern Master Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Blanchett appeared alongside Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf in the fourth installment of

the “Indiana Jones” franchise, directed by Steven Spielberg. Blanchett next starred opposite

Brad Pitt in the Academy Award®-nominated film “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,”

directed by David Fincher.

Blanchett recently wrapped production in England on Ridley Scott’s telling of “The Robin

Hood Adventure” starring opposite Russell Crowe.

This fall, Blanchett will perform on stage as Blanche Dubois in “A Streetcar Named

Desire” at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. (Oct. 30-Nov. 21) and at the Brooklyn

Academy of Music (Dec. 1-20). The Sydney Theatre Company production will be performed

in September in Sydney before moving to the U.S.

21

ABOUT THE VOICE CAST

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

MATT DAMON (Koichi) won an Academy Award® for Best

Original Screenplay with longtime friend Ben Affleck for “Good

Will Hunting.” Damon also earned an Oscar® nomination for Best

Actor for the title role. In addition, he and Affleck received a Golden

Globe Award® for their screenplay, and Damon a Golden Globe®

nomination for his performance. He also received a Golden Globe®

nomination for his work in Anthony Minghella’s “The Talented Mr.

Ripley.”

Recently, Damon reprised his role as Jason Bourne in “The

Bourne Ultimatum,” having previously starred in “The Bourne

Supremacy” and “The Bourne Identity.” He also reprised his role as Linus Caldwell in

“Ocean’s Thirteen,” after making “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Ocean’s Eleven.” His previous film

work includes “The Departed,” “The Good Shepherd,” “Syriana,” “The Brothers Grimm,”

“Gerry,” “All the Pretty Horses,” “The Legend of Bagger Vance” and Steven Spielberg’s

“Saving Private Ryan” for Academy Award®-winning director Steven Spielberg, and in John

Dahl’s “Rounders.” The young actor made his feature-film debut in 1988 in “Mystic Pizza.”

Damon recently completed filming “The Informant” for Stephen Soderbergh and

“Invictus” for Clint Eastwood. Both films are due for release this fall. He will also star in the

upcoming film “The Green Zone” for director Paul Greengrass, and is slated to shoot “The

Adjustment Bureau” this fall.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

HAYAO MIYAZAKI (Director/Original Screenplay by) was born in 1941 in Tokyo.

After graduating from the Gakushuin University in 1963 with a Political Science and

Economics degree, he joined Toei Animation Company. As in the case of his mentor Isao

Takahata, this was seen as an unusual choice of careers for someone with his academic

credentials. Miyazaki became deeply interested in children’s literature. He is also a superb

draftsman.

As an animator, Miyazaki was involved in the creation of many TV series and feature films

at Toei Animation and after he joined other studios; series included “Panda! Go Panda!”

(1972). Miyazaki also directed a TV series “The Future Boy Conan” in 1978 and feature films

such as “The Castle of Cagliostro” in 1979. In the early 1980s, Miyazaki spent time in Los

Angeles and had the opportunity to participate in a lecture given by Frank Thomas and Ollie

Johnston, two of Walt Disney Studios’ famous core animators known as the “Nine Old Men.”

One of his friends from those days was John Lasseter, currently the chief creative officer of

Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and the director of “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,”

“Toy Story 2” and “Cars.” During this period, Miyazaki started to write and illustrate a

critically acclaimed epic, the serial graphic novel “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.”

Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli in 1985 with Takahata, and has directed eight feature

films since. His film “Spirited Away” has broken every box-office record in Japan, and

garnered a very long list of awards and prizes, including the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin

Film Festival and the Oscar® for Best Animated Feature Film at the 2003 U.S. Academy

Awards®. His feature film “Howl’s Moving Castle,” based on the book of the same name by

British author Diana Wynne Jones, received the Osella award at the 2004 Venice Film Festival.

22

Miyazaki was awarded with the Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2005 Venice

Film Festival.

He has also published several books of his poems, essays and drawings, and designed

several highly praised and unique buildings, including the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka in Tokyo’s

Inokashira Park.

TOSHIO SUZUKI (Producer) has been one of the leading figures in Japanese animation

for more than two decades. Born in 1948 in Nagoya, Japan, he attended Keio University and

studied literature. After graduating, he joined Tokuma Shoten Co., Ltd. and began working at

their weekly magazine Asahi Geino. In 1978, he helped found the monthly animation

magazine Animage, beginning as an associate editor and later becoming editor-in-chief. In the

mid-1980s Suzuki became increasingly involved in the productions of Miyazaki and Takahata,

and in 1985, he helped found Studio Ghibli. During the second half of the decade, Suzuki

worked in publishing and helped produce the Studio Ghibli features, including “Nausicaä of

the Valley of the Wind” (1984), “Castle in the Sky” (1986), “Grave of the Fireflies” (1988),

“My Neighbor Totoro” (1988) and “Kiki’s Delivery Service” (1989). He went to work full

time for Studio Ghibli in 1989. Since then, Suzuki has produced “Only Yesterday” (1991),

“Porco Rosso” (1992), “Pom Poko” (1994), “Whisper of the Heart” (1995), “Princess

Mononoke” (1997), “My Neighbors the Yamadas” (1999), “Spirited Away” (2001), “The Cat

Returns” (2002), “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004) and “Tales from Earthsea” (2006). He also

served as co-producer of Mamoru Oshii’s “Innocence: Ghost in the Shell 2” (2004), and coexecutive

producer of Hideaki Anno’s “Ritual” (2000).

JOE HISAISHI (Composer) was born in Nagano, Japan in 1950 and studied composition

at the Kunitachi College of Music, where he began composing contemporary music. His first

film score for Hayao Miyazaki was for “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,” which garnered

wide acclaim. Hisaishi’s scores for movies directed by Miyazaki include “Castle in the Sky”

(1986), “My Neighbor Totoro” (1988), “Kiki’s Delivery Service” (1989), “Porco Rosso”

(1992), “Princess Mononoke” (1997) and “Spirited Away” (2001). He has also contributed

haunting original scores to many of the films of maverick director “Beat” Takeshi Kitano,

including “A Scene at the Sea” (1992), “Sonatine” (1993), “Fireworks” (1998), “Kikujiro”

(1999) and “Brother” (2001). The veteran composer has won the award for Best Music at the

Japan Academy Awards ceremonies in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000 and 2009, as well as

numerous critics’ award in America. Hisaishi is an active concert pianist and has released

numerous CDs of his own work. He is credited as a producer of the 1998 Nagano Winter

Paralympics.

PRODUCTION TEAM – ENGLISH LANGUAGE VERSION:

JOHN LASSETER (Executive Producer/Co-Director, Voice Talent–English-language

version) is chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and principal

creative advisor, Walt Disney Imagineering. He is a two-time Academy Award® winning

director and oversees all films and associated projects from Walt Disney and Pixar Animation

Studios. Lasseter made motion picture history in 1995 as the director of the first feature-

length computer animated film, “Toy Story” (for which he received a special achievement

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

23

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Academy Award®). He also directed the groundbreaking and critically acclaimed films “A

Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2” and “Cars.” Additionally, he executive produced “Monsters, Inc.,”

“Finding Nemo” and “The Incredibles.”

In 2004, Lasseter was honored by the Art Directors Guild with its prestigious Outstanding

Contribution to Cinematic Imagery award, and received an honorary degree from the

American Film Institute. Lasseter received the 2008 Winsor McCay Award from ASIFA-

Hollywood for career achievement and contribution to the art of animation.

Under Lasseter’s supervision, Pixar’s animated feature and short films have received a

multitude of critical accolades and film industry honors. His work on “Toy Story” resulted in

an Academy Award®-nomination for Best Original Screenplay, the first time an animated

feature had been recognized in that category. “Finding Nemo,” released spring 2003, became

the highest-grossing animated feature of all time, and won the Oscar® for Best Animated

Feature Film.

As creative director of Pixar, Lasseter enjoyed the critical acclaim and box-office success

of “The Incredibles” in 2004. The film was recognized with a record-breaking 16 Annie Award

nominations and several “Best Of ” awards by The Wall Street Journal, American Film

Institute, National Board of Review and many others.

Lasseter also has written, directed and animated a number of highly renowned short films

and television commercials for Pixar, including “Luxo Jr.” (1986 Academy Award® nominee),

“Red’s Dream” (1987), “Tin Toy” (1988 Academy Award winner), and “Knickknack” (1989),

which was produced as a 3D stereoscopic film. Pixar’s “Tin Toy” became the first computer-

animated film to win an Oscar® when it received the 1988 Academy Award for Best Animated

Short Film.

BRAD LEWIS (Co-Director, voice talent–English-language version) was the producer

of Disney•Pixar’s Academy Award®-winning film “Ratatouille.”

Lewis spent 13 years as a producer, executive producer, and executive vice-president of

production at Pacific Data Images, now a wholly owned subsidiary of DreamWorks

Animation SKG. He was a producer on the animated feature “ANTZ.” His other feature

production credits include “Forces of Nature,” “The Peacemaker” and “Broken Arrow.” Lewis

produced the first 3D episode of “The Simpsons” and won an Emmy® for Hanna-Barbera’s

“The Last Halloween.” He received a second Emmy for graphic design on ABC’s “Monday

Night Football®” and two Clios for his commercial work.

Lewis lives in San Carlos, Calif., where he served as mayor in 2008. He is currently directing

“Cars 2,” scheduled for release in summer 2011.

PETER SOHN (Co-Director, voice talent–English-language version) worked in both

the art and story departments for “Finding Nemo,” then moved on to do art, story and

animation work on “The Incredibles.” On the Academy Award®-winning feature “Ratatouille,”

Sohn worked as a story artist and animator for the film—and provided the voice of Emile. He

also worked as a story artist on the Oscar®-winning feature “WALL-E.” Sohn recently made

his directorial debut on “Partly Cloudy,” a short film released with Disney•Pixar’s feature

“Up.”

MELISSA MATHISON (Screenplay Adaptation - English language version) was born

24

and raised in Los Angeles. Her film credits as screenwriter include “The Black Stallion,”

“E.T.,” “The Indian in the Cupboard” and “Kundun.” She has worked as an associate or coproducer

on several of these movies.

A six-time Academy Award® nominee, KATHLEEN KENNEDY (Executive

Producer–English-language version) ranks as one of the most successful and respected

producers and executives in the film industry today. Among her credits are three of the

highest-grossing films in motion picture history: “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Jurassic Park”

and “The Sixth Sense.” She heads The Kennedy/Marshall Company, which she founded in

1992 with director/producer Frank Marshall. Most recently, the Company produced “The

Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which received three Academy Awards® and was

nominated for five Golden Globes® and 13 Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture.

Kennedy is currently serving as executive producer of “The Last Airbender,” for director M.

Night Shyamalan.

Last year, Kennedy executive produced “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal

Skull,” directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Frank Marshall. The Kennedy/ Marshall

Company has produced such films as “The Sixth Sense” (six Academy Award® nominations

including Best Picture), “Seabiscuit” (seven Academy Award nominations including Best

Picture), “Snow Falling on Cedars,” “The Bourne Identity,” “The Bourne Supremacy” and

“The Bourne Ultimatum.” Also in 2007, The Kennedy/Marshall Company produced the indie

hits “Persepolis” (Oscar® nomination for Best Animated Feature) and “The Diving Bell and

the Butterfly.”

In 1982, Kennedy co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Spielberg and Marshall, where

she produced two of the most successful franchises in film history: “Jurassic Park” and “Back

to the Future.” In addition, Kennedy produced or executive produced such critical and box-

office hits as “The Bridges of Madison County,” “Schindler’s List,” “Noises Off,” “Cape Fear,”

“Joe Versus the Volcano,” “Always,” “Gremlins,” “The Land Before Time,” “Who Framed

Roger Rabbit,” “Empire of the Sun,” “An American Tail,” “The Money Pit,” “The Color

Purple” and “Young Sherlock Holmes,” as well as Frank Marshall’s 1990 directorial debut

“Arachnophobia.” Other collaborations with Spielberg include “Munich,” “War of the Worlds”

and “A.I. Artificial Intelligence.”

Kennedy is on the Academy of Motion Pictures’ Producers Branch Executive Committee

and is a member of the Academy’s Board of Governors. She recently completed her tenure as

President of the Producers Guild of America, which bestowed upon her its highest honor, the

Charles Fitzsimons Service Award, in 2006. In 2008, she and Marshall received the Producers

Guild of America’s David O. Selznick Award for Career Achievement.

A five-time Academy Award® nominee with more than 50 films to his credit, FRANK

MARSHALL (Executive Producer–English-language version) is co-founder of the The

Kennedy/ Marshall Company with producer Kathleen Kennedy. Marshall is currently

producing “The Last Airbender,” for M. Night Shyamalan.

Last summer, Marshall continued his long-standing collaboration with George Lucas and

Steven Spielberg, producing “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Also in

2008, The Kennedy/Marshall Company produced “The Spiderwick Chronicles,” based on the

popular children’s books. Marshall is a driving force behind the “Bourne” series, which

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

25

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

includes “The Bourne Identity,” “The Bourne Supremacy” and “The Bourne Ultimatum.”

Additional credits as a producer include some of the most successful films of all time,

including Academy Award® Best Picture nominees “Seabiscuit” (seven Oscar® nominations),

“The Sixth Sense” (six Oscar nominations), “The Color Purple” and “Raiders of the Lost

Ark.” Other credits as producer include “The Land before Time,” “Who Framed Roger

Rabbit,” “Empire of the Sun,” “An American Tail,” the “Back to the Future” trilogy, “The

Goonies” and “Gremlins.”

As a director, Marshall helmed the critically acclaimed box-office smash “Eight Below,” as

well as the thriller “Arachnophobia,” the true-life drama “Alive,” the 1995 hit adventure

“Congo,” and an episode of the Emmy Award®-winning HBO miniseries “From the Earth to

the Moon.”

Marshall began his motion picture career as assistant to Peter Bogdanovich on the director’s

cult classic “Targets.” He served as location manager for “The Last Picture Show” and

“What’s Up, Doc?,” and associate producer on “Paper Moon” and “Nickelodeon.” His

collaboration with Steven Spielberg and Kennedy began in 1981 with “Raiders of the Lost

Ark,” “E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial” and “Poltergeist.” In 1981, the trio formed Amblin

Entertainment. Marshall left Amblin in the fall of 1991 to pursue his directing career, and

formed the Kennedy/Marshall Company with Kennedy.

For over a decade, Marshall has been a board member of the United States Olympic

Committee and is the 2005 recipient of the Olympic Shield, awarded in recognition of his

outstanding contributions. He serves on the board of the Los Angeles Sports Council, Athletes

for Hope and The Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, as well as Co-Chairman of Mentor

LA and a member of the UCLA Foundation Board of Governors. Marshall is a recipient of the

American Academy of Achievement Award, the UCLA Alumni Professional Achievement

Award and the California Mentor Initiative’s Leadership Award.

Information contained within as of July 29, 2009.

OSCAR® and ACADEMY AWARD® are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and

Sciences.

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARD® and SAG AWARD® are the registered trademarks and service marks of Screen Actors

Guild.

26

property of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and must not be sold or transferred. ©2009 Nibariki-

GNDHDDT. All rights reserved.