If Mary and the Witch's Flower, the breakout animated film from recently formed Japanese animation outfit Studio Ponoc, seems immediately recognizable, that could be because many from Ponoc are former Ghibli people. Further, the overall narrative and setup are awfully familiar—young, seemingly incapable girl thrust into extraordinary and magical circumstances works it out on her own—with hints of Miyazaki classics like Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service and Spirited Away. Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi even went so far as to voice hesitations over those inevitable comparisons in an interview for The Verge in late 2017, but obviously the film was made all the same and it's fine. Just fine.
Based on Mary Stewart's 1971 book, The Little Broomstick, Mary and the Witch's Flower follows a clever young girl named Mary (duh) who unwittingly winds up enrolled in a school for witches and warlocks. But when she uncovers the dubious methods of its headmistress and top teacher, Mary discovers strength she didn't know she had and sets about foiling their nefarious plot. There's something in there about how one had the courage they needed all along, but the real draw here is in both the utter weirdness and the gorgeous animation.
Character and world designs are undoubtedly Ghibli-esque, but this is hardly a bad thing as backgrounds and detailed interiors shine almost always and the British countryside backdrop makes everything feel just a little more magical.
Regardless, the pacing feels off and the interplay between characters is almost always rushed. It's hard to tell whether or not the school officials wish to do Mary harm, and even big-name performances from Kate Winslet and Jim Broadbent can't work around that. It's possible that the film's transition to a new intended audience (American children) caused darker themes to be lost, but it's hard to get a sense of motivation for anyone outside of "They do the things they do because they're just those kinds of people."
Kids, however, will love this movie. It's cute and fun and speaks to what young people can accomplish if they're given a chance to work things out on their own. Just don't expect as timeless a tale as Miyazaki has created—he is, after all, the master—and prepare yourself to have unanswered questions by the uplifting end.
7
+Flawless animation; wonderfully weird
-Bizarre pacing; unclear character motivations
Mary and the Witch's Flower
Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi
With Winslet and Broadbent
Center for Contemporary Arts, PG, 102 min.
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