IMDb RATING
6.8/10
17K
YOUR RATING
Based on "The Little Broomstick" by Mary Stewart, a strange flower grants a girl magic powers.Based on "The Little Broomstick" by Mary Stewart, a strange flower grants a girl magic powers.Based on "The Little Broomstick" by Mary Stewart, a strange flower grants a girl magic powers.
- Awards
- 8 nominations
Hana Sugisaki
- Mary
- (voice)
Ryunosuke Kamiki
- Peter
- (Japanese version)
- (voice)
- (as Ryûnosuke Kamiki)
Yûki Amami
- Madam Mumblechook
- (voice)
Fumiyo Kohinata
- Doctor Dee
- (Japanese version)
- (voice)
Ken'ichi Endô
- Zebedee
- (voice)
Eri Watanabe
- Miss Banks
- (voice)
Ikue Ôtani
- Tib
- (voice)
Ruby Barnhill
- Mary
- (English version)
- (voice)
Kate Winslet
- Madam Mumblechook
- (English version)
- (voice)
Jim Broadbent
- Doctor Dee
- (English version)
- (voice)
Ewen Bremner
- Flanagan
- (English version)
- (voice)
Lynda Baron
- Great-Aunt Charlotte
- (English version)
- (voice)
Louis Ashbourne Serkis
- Peter
- (English version)
- (voice)
Morwenna Banks
- Miss Banks
- (English version)
- (voice)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe debut film of Studio Ponoc.
- GoofsIt is set in England, but the girl rehearsing arriving at her new but ordinary school bows to the teacher. Maybe normal in Japan, but not in modern Britain.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Chris Stuckmann Movie Reviews: Mary and the Witch's Flower (2018)
- SoundtracksRAIN
Music by Shin'ichi Nakajima (as Nakajin), Saori Fujisaki (as Saori) and Satoshi Fukase (as Fukase)
Lyrics by Saori Fujisaki (as Saori) and Satoshi Fukase (as Fukase)
Performed by Sekai no Owari (as SEKAI NO OWARI)
Courtesy of Toy's Factory
Featured review
Beautiful animation, so-and-so story
Mary and the Witch's Flower is the first feature film made by Studio Ponoc and the third film directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who previously worked for Studio Ghibli. In it a young girl, Mary Smith, has moved to the countryside and is out exploring one day when she stumbles upon a mystical flower, which has the power to grant her magical abilities. She manages to bewitch a broom, which takes her to the Endor College for witches.
Studio Ponoc was founded by former Studio Ghibli employees and a lot of its animators worked for Ghibli as well. And this is reflected in the quality of animation. This is some of the most beautiful, vibrant, lush, detailed and gorgeous animation I've ever seen. The character and set designs are amazing to look at, everything moves with graze and effortless fluidity, and there isn't a hair out of place, figuratively speaking.
The musical score is also nice, the voice actors are extremely talented and the whole film has this warm, inviting, fairytale-esque feeling to it.
Which is why, it's my sad duty to inform you that the script is rather awful. I have not read the original novel, The Little Broomstick, but I'm somewhat familiar with Mary Stewart, the author. Studio Ponoc has essentially taken a quintessentially British children's novel and turned its mood, its atmosphere on its head, adding in a lot of unneeded anime tropes and visuals. Studio Ghibli had this same problem with Tales from Earthsea. It was an okay film on its own, but it felt like a huge betrayal for all fans of the original Earthsea books.
I also don't enjoy the fact that Mary does not learn a thing throughout the course of the film. By the end she's essentially the same character she was in the beginning. And that's a big no-no in stories aimed at children.
Mary and the Witch's Flower is not the worst anime film I've ever seen, but it is certainly lacking in depth, heart and message. Technically superb, but empty on the inside.
Studio Ponoc was founded by former Studio Ghibli employees and a lot of its animators worked for Ghibli as well. And this is reflected in the quality of animation. This is some of the most beautiful, vibrant, lush, detailed and gorgeous animation I've ever seen. The character and set designs are amazing to look at, everything moves with graze and effortless fluidity, and there isn't a hair out of place, figuratively speaking.
The musical score is also nice, the voice actors are extremely talented and the whole film has this warm, inviting, fairytale-esque feeling to it.
Which is why, it's my sad duty to inform you that the script is rather awful. I have not read the original novel, The Little Broomstick, but I'm somewhat familiar with Mary Stewart, the author. Studio Ponoc has essentially taken a quintessentially British children's novel and turned its mood, its atmosphere on its head, adding in a lot of unneeded anime tropes and visuals. Studio Ghibli had this same problem with Tales from Earthsea. It was an okay film on its own, but it felt like a huge betrayal for all fans of the original Earthsea books.
I also don't enjoy the fact that Mary does not learn a thing throughout the course of the film. By the end she's essentially the same character she was in the beginning. And that's a big no-no in stories aimed at children.
Mary and the Witch's Flower is not the worst anime film I've ever seen, but it is certainly lacking in depth, heart and message. Technically superb, but empty on the inside.
helpful•140
- Vartiainen
- Nov 30, 2018
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Mary & the Witch's Flower
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,418,404
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $348,475
- Jan 21, 2018
- Gross worldwide
- $42,170,427
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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By what name was Mary and the Witch's Flower (2017) officially released in India in English?
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