Studio Ponoc

Studio Ponoc is an independent Japanese animation studio based in Musashino, Tokyo. It was established on April 15, 2015, by Yoshiaki Nishimura, a former lead film producer at Studio Ghibli. The studio attracted several artists and production personnel with Studio Ghibli backgrounds, including director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, and was created during a period when the future of Studio Ghibli's feature-animation production was uncertain. Its name derives from the Serbo-Croatian word pónoć, meaning midnight, a reference to the transition between one day and the next and to the idea of beginning anew. Ponoc's identity has been closely associated with hand-drawn, character-focused Japanese animation and with the creative heritage of Studio Ghibli, although it is a separate company rather than a subsidiary or successor owned by Ghibli. Its logo features Mary Smith, the protagonist of the studio's first feature, Mary and the Witch's Flower. This visual association has helped establish a recognizable house identity while also making clear the studio's connection to a generation of former Ghibli creators. Before releasing a feature film, Studio Ponoc produced commercial animation, including a 2015 summer campaign advertisement for West Japan Railway Company. Its first feature, Mary and the Witch's Flower, was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and released across Japan on July 8, 2017. Adapted from Mary Stewart's novel The Little Broomstick, the film follows Mary, a young girl who discovers a magical flower and is temporarily granted access to a school of magic. The project brought together a number of former Studio Ghibli employees and became the studio's principal breakthrough. It ranked sixth among Japan's highest-grossing films for 2017, according to the referenced account. The studio subsequently developed short-form animation as another part of its creative output. Its anthology project Modest Heroes presented stories centered on vulnerable or overlooked protagonists, while Tomorrow's Leaves was produced with the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage. Written by Nishimura and directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, Tomorrow's Leaves was inspired by the Olympic values of excellence, friendship, and respect. Production began in 2019, but the film's planned timing was affected by the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. It eventually premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2021 and was later made available online through the International Olympic Committee and Studio Ponoc channels. Studio Ponoc has also pursued international distribution for its feature work. In January 2024, Netflix announced an agreement covering worldwide streaming rights to The Imaginary and global streaming rights for future Studio Ponoc feature projects. The agreement expanded the studio's international reach beyond theatrical and territory-by-territory distribution. Studio Ponoc remains best understood as a creator-led animation house whose value rests on the work of its directors, producers, animators, and related creative collaborators rather than on a large corporate portfolio.

Studio Ponoc was founded in Musashino, Tokyo, on April 15, 2015, by Yoshiaki Nishimura, who had worked as a leading film producer at Studio Ghibli. The new company was supported by several artists and production staff with Ghibli experience, including director Hiromasa Yonebayashi. Its name comes from pónoć, a Serbo-Croatian word for midnight. The term was selected to express a turning point: the close of one day and the beginning of another. The studio's early work included an animated commercial for West Japan Railway Company's 2015 summer campaign. Its feature-film debut was Mary and the Witch's Flower, directed by Yonebayashi and released in Japan on July 8, 2017. Based on Mary Stewart's novel The Little Broomstick, the film follows Mary Smith after she discovers a magical flower that gives her temporary magical abilities. The production brought together numerous former Studio Ghibli personnel and established Ponoc as one of the most visible independent Japanese animation studios associated with the Ghibli creative tradition. The film ranked sixth among Japan's highest-grossing films of 2017 in the referenced material. Ponoc expanded its output with short and anthology animation. Modest Heroes presented several compact stories about ordinary characters facing extraordinary or emotionally difficult circumstances. The studio also collaborated with the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage on Tomorrow's Leaves. Nishimura wrote the film and Yoshiyuki Momose directed it. The short was inspired by the Olympic ideals of excellence, friendship, and respect. Production began in June 2019, but the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics affected its original release schedule. It had its world premiere at the opening of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 14, 2021, later screened at Tokyo Skytree, and was released online through the IOC and Studio Ponoc websites on July 23, the rescheduled Games' opening date. Studio Ponoc's development has been shaped by the mobility of Japanese animation talent. Although its founders and collaborators have strong Studio Ghibli connections, Ponoc is an independent studio and should not be treated as a Ghibli subsidiary or corporate replacement. Its brand emphasizes original production, feature animation, short films, and the preservation of detailed, artist-driven animation methods. International distribution became more prominent in 2024, when Netflix announced worldwide streaming rights to The Imaginary together with global streaming rights for Studio Ponoc's future feature projects. The agreement provided a major international distribution channel while leaving the studio positioned as an independent creative producer. Ponoc's public profile therefore rests on a small but recognizable body of work, its association with established Japanese animation talent, and its efforts to combine theatrical feature production with short-form and commissioned projects.

• 2024

  Netflix obtains global streaming rights

  [1]Studio Ponocen.wikipedia.org

  Netflix announced worldwide rights for The Imaginary and global rights for Studio Ponoc's future feature projects.

• 2021

  Tomorrow's Leaves premieres

  [1]Studio Ponocen.wikipedia.org

  The short received its world premiere at Annecy and was subsequently presented in Tokyo and online.

• 2019

  Production begins on Tomorrow's Leaves

  [1]Studio Ponocen.wikipedia.org

  Studio Ponoc began production on its Olympic Foundation collaboration, written by Nishimura and directed by Yoshiyuki Momose.

• 2017

  Mary and the Witch's Flower is released

  [1]Studio Ponocen.wikipedia.org

  Studio Ponoc's first feature opened throughout Japan on July 8 and became its breakthrough theatrical production.

• 2015

  Studio Ponoc is established

  [1]Studio Ponocen.wikipedia.org

  Yoshiaki Nishimura founded Studio Ponoc in Musashino, Tokyo, with support from former Studio Ghibli artists and production personnel.

• 2015

  First known commercial project

  [1]Studio Ponocen.wikipedia.org

  The studio worked on a summer campaign advertisement for West Japan Railway Company.

Creator-led, high-quality Japanese animation with strong hand-drawn and Studio Ghibli-associated creative heritage, while operating as an independent studio.

• Animated feature film · 2017

  Mary and the Witch's Flower

  Studio Ponoc's first feature film, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and adapted from Mary Stewart's novel The Little Broomstick. The story follows Mary Smith, a girl who discovers a magical flower and gains temporary access to a school of magic. The film assembled many former Studio Ghibli personnel and introduced Mary as the character used in Studio Ponoc's logo. It was released in Japan on July 8, 2017.

• Animated anthology feature · 2018

  Modest Heroes

  An anthology-style animated feature associated with Studio Ponoc's early body of work. It is built from several short stories focused on understated protagonists and personal acts of courage, reflecting the studio's interest in intimate, character-driven storytelling rather than a single large-scale fantasy narrative.

• Animated short film · 2021

  Tomorrow's Leaves

  A short film created in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage. Written by Yoshiaki Nishimura and directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, it draws on the Olympic values of excellence, friendship, and respect. Its release schedule was affected by the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games; it premiered at Annecy in 2021 and was later distributed online.

• Animated feature film

  The Imaginary

  A Studio Ponoc feature that became the subject of Netflix's January 2024 worldwide streaming-rights announcement. The agreement also covered global streaming rights for future Studio Ponoc feature projects. Further production and release details are not expanded here beyond the referenced material.

• 2015JR West Summer Train campaign

  Japan

  Studio Ponoc produced animated advertising for West Japan Railway Company's 2015 summer campaign. The project was among the studio's earliest publicly identified assignments and demonstrated its ability to apply feature-animation talent to commercial work.

  Outcome. Completed as a commercial campaign.

  Source

• 2024

  Expand global streaming distribution through NetflixStrategy

  Background

  Studio Ponoc sought an international distribution route for The Imaginary and subsequent feature projects.

  Action taken

  Netflix announced worldwide streaming rights to The Imaginary and global streaming rights to Studio Ponoc's future feature projects.

  Aftermath

  The agreement broadened the studio's international distribution footprint and created a continuing streaming relationship for future features.

  Source

• 2017

  Release the studio's debut featureProduct launch

  Background

  After initial commercial work, Studio Ponoc needed a feature production to establish its creative identity and market position.

  Action taken

  The studio released Mary and the Witch's Flower throughout Japan on July 8, 2017.

  Aftermath

  The film became the studio's breakthrough release and ranked sixth among Japan's highest-grossing films of 2017 in the referenced account.

  Source

• 2015

  Launch an independent studio built around former Ghibli talentStrategy

  Background

  Yoshiaki Nishimura and associated artists established a separate company after working within the Studio Ghibli production environment.

  Action taken

  Studio Ponoc was founded as an independent animation house focused on original feature films, shorts, and commissioned animation.

  Aftermath

  The studio developed a distinct identity while retaining strong creative and personnel links to the Japanese animation tradition associated with Studio Ghibli.

  Source

1. 1Studio Ponocen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Studio Ponoc official websiteponoc.jp