Miyazaki wrote the script after he decided the film would be based on the 10-year-old daughter of his friend, associate producer Seiji Okuda, who came to visit his house each summer.
Miyazaki bol inšpirovaný pri písaní scenáru desaťročnou dcérou svojho priateľa a spolu producenta, Seiji-ho Okuda, ktorá ho navštevovala každé leto.