Japanese Ponyo Commercials

Here is a trio of short Japanese commercials for Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea. I've posted the animated commercial a long time ago, so this is the perfect time to pull it out again for our new American audiences.

The first ad shows a series of singing children and grownups, with a plush Ponyo doll for good measure. This is a commercial for Mtsuya Cider, and, weirdly enough, includes some form of endorsement from Hayao Miyazaki. I don't think his quote was intended for this brand specifically - it's just one of his bits of sage advice about life. But this does count as an endorsement on the score sheets.

Miyazaki's message reads as follows: "There are all-important things within a radius of three meters."

The second ad is for Lawson, and features a Ponyo toy that squirts out water. This animation short was created by Studio Ghibli (similar ads for Spirited Away appear on the Ghibli Short Short DVD), and was directed by Osamu Tanabe. He also directed a number of Ghibli shorts, including the wonderful music video Doredore no Uta.

Ben Ettinger writes about Osaumu Tanabe here. It's an excellent read as always.

The third and final ad is for Ponyo itself. A short clip from the movie plays. We all cheer and then proceed to run down to the nearest theater with stacks of dollar bills in our hands.

All in all, a very interesting trio of short commercials for Ponyo in Japan. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to watch Doredore again.