Mary and the Witch’s Flower is the first movie from Japanese animation studio Studio Ponoc, which was founded by ex-Ghibli animators in 2015. Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, this movie is about a British girl named Mary Smith. She is stuck in the country with her Great-Aunt Charlotte when she discovers a magic broomstick and a strange flower that only blooms every seven years. Suddenly, Mary finds herself whisked away to Endor College, a school of magic run by Madam Mumblechook and the brilliant Doctor Dee. But the school is not all that it seems, and when Mary tells a lie, she must risk her life to set everything right.
The strengths of Mary and the Flower come from its top-notch animation, strong protagonist, excellent sound design, and some memorable music from Takatsugu Muramatsu.
With all this said, Mary and the Witch’s Flower still has its flaws: Despite being from a different studio, ‘Mary’ features similarities (both from an artist’s and author’s perspective) to Ghibli movies like Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky, and Kiki’s Delivery Service. Not to mention that Mary Smith herself bares a resemblance to Merida from the black sheep Pixar film Brave. Here's Merida...
...And here's Mary Smith.
In conclusion, not as good as even non-Ghibli anime movies like Your Name, In This Corner of the World, or Wolf Children, Mary and the Witch’s Flower is a fine anime movie that kids might enjoy.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
