The first feature film of Studio Ponoc, Mary And The Witch’s Flower, takes you on a ride on the broomstick to the strange, magical world. Mary, alongside Peter and the cats, will uncover the secrets of this mysterious flower and the people after it.
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Mary And The Witch’s Flower follows the story of Mary, a little girl with fuzzy, red hair, who cannot seem to do well in anything. She moved to the countryside to live with her grandmother. Being new to the area, and mostly bored, she was exploring the woods and came across a rather peculiar-looking bunch of rare flowers. The flowers are known as the witch’s flower, for they are highly sought after by witches. With the power from the flower, Mary transformed into a powerful witch with time-limited magical abilities.
The Good
As the first feature film of Studio Ponoc, with several animators previously from the renowned Studio Ghibli, Mary And The Witch’s Flower may remind people of the popular works from the latter studio with its colours, animation and storyline. The plot can be likened to a combination of Alice in Wonderland (the strange experiences Mary had just over one day) and Harry Potter (entering a magic school as a talented witch).
Although Mary is the main character of the movie, its side characters also have a depth to them. Peter, who became an unlikely friend of Mary, is voiced by budding young actor, Ryunosuke Kamiki. Joining their journey to the magical world are a black cat and a grey one, whose relationship is also worth noting. -cue cat lovers-
The theme song for this Japanese animation film is by popular band, Sekai no Owari, who also did the theme songs for movies like Attack On Titan live-action. Fans can stay till the end of credits roll as you bathe your ears in “Rain” — title of the theme song.
The (Not That) Bad
The story, based on The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart, is a little cliche and predictable. But the 103 minutes are well executed. One can only look forward to the future works of Studio Ponoc, hopefully with more out-of-the-ordinary plots.
And The Summary
The first feature film of Studio Ponoc, Mary And The Witch’s Flower, takes you on a ride on the broomstick to the strange, magical world. Mary, alongside Peter and the cats, will uncover the secrets of this mysterious flower and the people after it.
read less