Mary and the Witch’s Flower, on Netflix, 10/10

 

If it looks Ghibli, and feels  like Ghibli,  it is,  most likely , a Ghibli.

 

Well, it is not a Ghibli.  It is made by Studio Ponoc. But, but, it does  look  Ghibli-ish, doesn’t it ?  Yes, it does, but  it’s not surprising because Studio Ponoc , from the producer, director and illustrators are former Ghibli  people.

 

Mary and the Witch’s Flower  was created by a former Ghibli producer,  Yoshiaki Nishimura,  and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi. (  Yonebayashi  was an Oscar nominee for  his work  When Marnie Was There  as Best Animated Feature  in 2015 )Before this,  they produced and directed The Secret World of Arrietty and When Marnie Was There ,  both under Ghibli Animation.   Mary and the Witch’s Flower is this new company’s debut film,  which they made to carry on the legacy of Ghibli after its founder Hayao Miyazaki had announced his retirement ( for the nth time ).

 

 

Mary and the Witch’s Flower ( Meari to Majo Hana ) is based on a novel  , The  Little Broomstick , by an English children’s author, Mary Stewart.

 

The story’s about a young girl, Mary Smith , who moves  in at her Grand Aunt Charlotte’s estate , ahead of her parents.  She’s a normal kid who has a low self-esteem  due to her frizzy red hair which she hates, and who feels she cannot do anything right. She tries to help with house chores but messes it up, instead.  While playing in the woods , she comes across a flower called ” fly by night ” and   which she later finds out only  blooms  once every seven years.  A black cat  with a bud of the flower  in its mouth   leads her to a broomstick,  throws  the bud  at her, which in turn releases  a  magical power  that enables Mary to ride  it like a flying witch. The broom flies  her to a magic school, located  high up in the clouds ,…. and that is where Mary’s fantastic adventure  begins.

 

 

What can I say ?  I love it ! ! !  The animation is flawless,  it’s gorgeous,  and  a delight to watch.  I  prefer to watch animes in Japanese , but I make an exception here.  The atmosphere is very British,  so it feels  weird to watch  the characters speaking Japanese.  (  I watched it in Japanese for a few minutes )  The characters’ speaking voices have  well- enunciated  British accent ,and it’s fun to hear the name Peter  ( Mary’s friend ) pronounced  as Peetahhhh ! ! Very crispy.

 

I’m giving this a 10/10 rating.