Short answers, pulled from the story.
Yoshiaki Nishimura officially registered Studio Ponoc in Musashino, Tokyo on the 15th of April 2015. The studio was established as a deliberate attempt to birth a new era of Japanese cinema after decades of dominance by Studio Ghibli.
The name Ponoc derives from the Serbo-Croatian word for midnight, chosen specifically to symbolize the quiet moment just before the sun rises. This name represents the beginning of a new day for the industry and the studio's role in that transition.
Hiromasa Yonebayashi took the helm as the director of Mary and the Witch's Flower, which was released on the 8th of July 2017. This film was adapted from The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart and became a commercial success by reaching number six of the highest-grossing films of the year in Japan.
The film had its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival during its opening ceremony on the 14th of June 2021. It later screened at the Tokyo Skytree from the 12th of July until the 5th of September before officially premiering on YouTube and Studio Ponoc's official website on the 23rd of July.
Netflix announced on the 25th of January 2024 that they had acquired worldwide streaming rights to The Imaginary. The film was released on the 15th of December 2023 and directed by Yoshiyuki Momose with a screenplay by Yoshiaki Nishimura.