Miyazaki spirits them away again

Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, whose animated film “Spirited Away” won a 2002 Oscar, has captured the hearts of Japanese moviegoers again, this time with a tale of a mermaid.

“Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea,” about the friendship between a 5-year-old boy and a mermaid girl who wishes to live in his world, has become one of the most popular Japanese movies in its home market in its first month of release, with box office sales of more than $91 million.

The film is set to be shown at the Venice Film Festival, which starts next week, and then it will be distributed in the United States, said a spokesman for Japanese distributor Toho Co. Ltd., although details have not been set.