Mary and The Witch's Flower

Review for film with Japanese audio, english subtitles. I found Mary and the Witch's Flower to be a moving film. I was engaged throughout and time passed very quickly. I appreciated the wonderully drawn Shropshire landscapes. I found it entertaining observing all the Ghibli signature tropes. I'm pretty sure they included every Miyazaki film somewhere: broomsticks and cats, the ponyo sea worm/droplets, the red elk, the laputa style school guards, authoritative older baddy, redemption/infantilisation of baddies, egg-man lookalike, delicious food shots, floating land islands, cute dog, and clouds. I thought that the depiction of the school was absolutely fabulous, and really a location that I would love to explore more of, the time alloted was not sufficient, understandably. The film is so rich, let me list all the specifics I loved: the school janitor Flanagan, cats, magic spells, all the various animals stampeding, the botanical focus, the remote house, the song at the end 'rain', laputa style school guards, the various gadgetry of the Kamaji type professor, and did I mention Flanagan? Sequel, please!

It gets to be too much on the predictable side, but it is respectable and works better as a children's fantasy. The young will be tickled with whimsical joy from "…the Witch's Flower". That said, teens and adults can enjoy the beautifully fluid and expressive animation/art.

It seens like a Ghibli movie, but don't feel like one. I know we are talking about a different studio, but if Ponoc was decided to go with a Ghibli approach and feeling in it's debut it should at least have the same charm and heartfelt feeling. I must say it's a good start, but Ponoc have a long track to trail.

This movie was not great. Another movie about a powerful magical character who doesn't end up using any magic. The villains are boring and predictable.

Good animation. Empty world. Empty story. Mood imposed by music. Magic-driven plot.