GKIDS, the company who has commonly brought a variety of Japanese animation films to the United States, has recently picked up Mary and the Witch’s Flower, the debut film for Studio Ponoc, who is comprised mostly of former Studio Ghibli employees.
Hiromasa Yonebayashi is the director of the film, and has made a variety of films for Studio Ghibli, including The Secret World of Arrietty and When Marnie Was There. It is being produced by the studio’s founder, Yoshiaki Nishimura, who also produced The Tale of The Princess Kaguya. GKIDS were the distributors of both When Marnie Was There and Kaguya, and GKIDS have given a winter release for the newest film.
Mary and the Witch’s Flower is based Mary Stewart’s book The Little Broomstick, which follows a young girl named Mary, who one day discovers a flower that gives her an untold amount of magical power, but only for one night. Knowing that many of the employees and animators from Ghibli have worked on this film, we expect to see a beautifully designed world and fun, interesting characters that we can empathize with. The film currently holds a place in the top ten local releases in Japan after only being on the theater market for three weeks.
Leave a Comment