Mary and the Witch's Flower is a 2017 film created by Yonebayashi Hiromasa(When Marie Was There) who was originally a creator for Studio Ghibli. He made his debut film, The Secret World of Arrietty with the studio then become the youngest director that the studio ever had. When Marnie Was There was the film that cemented his spot at the top with many other top animation directors. The film was nominated for an Academy award in 2015. Most of his films do pretty well in Japanese and American theaters. Mary and the Witch's Flower reached the top ten at number five and Marnie also was in the top ten spot at the time of it's release in Japan. America also had positive reactions to the films as their releases pulled in decent sales stateside. Similar to the release of Your Name last year. Voice actors for the American release feature the voices of Ruby Barnhill, Kate Winslet, and Jim Broadbent.
A girl finds a magical flower in the forest next to her great aunt's house. The flower gives her magical powers that get her involved in a world of magic. Things are more than they seem about the flower as she soon finds out.
The film could fall in line behind Miyuzaki's works in the past. Something you would expect from a person that worked at the same studio as the legend. Mary and the Witch doesn't have a super deep message like other Japanese animation films. The plot is pretty cut and dry in it's duration. A female protagonist finds a magic flower that gets her into trouble then she has to save her friend from some magic wielding enemies. What makes this film special is the coming of age transformation of the character Mary. She goes through many forms of awaking into who she was meant to be as a person. Most viewers will relate to her on this level. Her outlook on herself wasn't the best and the film's plot puts a big emphasis on how she can't do anything without messing everything up. Fixing things are always normally left in the hands of the most unlikely heroes in these animations but she's forced to step up to the plate one way or another. I never talk much about the soundtracks that accompany films, however the music of Mary and the Witch's Flower plays a huge part in signaling the moments that Mary's character blossoms into her full potential. Classic violin scores graces certain scenes of the film that makes you feel like you are watching a glorious event happen before your eyes. While the film isn't as solid as Spirited away, the film film does have a simple message. A message that your greatest imperfections you think are awful, are not always bad. Sometimes they help you stand out in your own uniqueness. Also, believing in who you are is the best way to be the best you there is to be. I felt the plot was a bit slow in the beginning(although the opening was good.). Latter, it flowed more in a exciting direction.
All of the animation as well as the effects look like they were taken right out of Spirited Away's production. This can't be helped since Hiromasa drew the animation for that film. Everything has a fantasy feel similar to seeing illustrations in a children's storybook. I kept being reminded of Kiki's Delivery Service because of the inclusion of magic and the broomstick though. Being based off a novel called The Little Broomstick didn't help either.
Most overdubs for Studio Ghibli films are done well. Well, the studio does have the funds to hire talented English speaking voice actors. The British accents was a nice touch. They don't sound too forced even though the actors are from England.
Mary and the Witch's Flower is a good film that contains a lot of heart. It's not as good as Hiromasa's last film but it does have it's own charm. Check this film out if you're a fan of Japanese animation or Miyazaki's past work.
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