An Overlooked Film: Mary and The Witches Flower

I came across Mary and the Witch’s Flower while watching all of the Studio Ghibli films. I didn’t understand how it was connected to Studio Ghibli, but it kept appearing. After a little research, I figured out why.

Mary and the Witch’s Flower was the first movie from Studio Ponoc. Yoshiaki Nishimura founded Studio Ponoc on April 15, 2015, and gained the support of several animators previously working under Studio Ghibli, including director Hiromasa Yonebayashi. The name of the studio comes from the Croatian word ponoć, for “midnight”, meant to signify “the beginning of a new day”.

Studio Ponoc Films:

• Mary and the Witch’s Flower (2017, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi)
• Modest Heroes (2018, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Yoshiyuki Momose, and Akihiko Yamashita)
• The Imaginary (2023, directed by Yoshiyuki Momose)

When producer Yoshiaki Nishimura first talked to director Hiromasa Yonebayashi about the project that would become the animated feature Mary and the Witch’s Flower, Yonebayashi had reservations. “I hesitated a little bit because I thought it might be compared to Kiki’s Delivery Service, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, which was also about a young witch.”

It’s a valid concern. The film’s protagonist, Mary, is a forceful redhead who’s fairly different from the polite, dark-haired Kiki in Miyazaki’s film. But both movies are animated children’s fantasies about broom-riding little girls with black cat familiars.

However, the two film’s similarities stop there. Unlike in Kiki Mary is not born a witch. She goes from being a regular girl to one of the most powerful witches they have ever seen temporarily. Kiki goes out on her own to discover what kind of witch she will be, while Mary goes to school to learn how to utilize her newly found power. Kiki is a coming-of-age movie while Mary and the Witch’s Flower covers some tough topics.

Mary and The Witches Flower

Storyline: Mary is an ordinary young girl stuck in the country with her Great-Aunt Charlotte and seemingly no adventures or friends in sight. She follows a mysterious cat into the nearby forest, where she discovers an old broomstick and the strange Fly-by-Night flower, a rare plant that blossoms only once every seven years and only in that forest. Together the flower and the broomstick whisk Mary above the clouds and far away to Endor College — a school of magic run by headmistress Madam Mumblechook and the brilliant Doctor Dee. But terrible things are happening at the school, and, when Mary tells a lie, she must risk her life to try to set things right. Based on Mary Stewart’s 1971 classic children’s book “The Little Broomstick”, “Mary and The Witch’s Flower” is an action-packed film full of jaw-dropping imaginative worlds, ingenious characters, and the stirring, heartfelt story of a young girl trying to find a place in the world. Featuring the voices of Ruby Barnhill and Academy Award winners Kate Winslet and Jim Broadbent.

Rated: PG

This film tackles some difficult topics.

First: How to use your power wisely. In this film, Mary goes from being a normal girl to an extremely powerful witch in a moment and then discovers that power is temporary. You don’t know how someone is going to change once they have power. We see Mary a young girl with unmatched power use it for good, while the teachers crave more and more power to use for their selfish desires. We all would like to think we are good people and if we came into money or power we would use it for good but we will never truly know until that time comes.

Second: Animal testing and cruelty. It still blows my mind that we live in a world that has normalized testing on animals. They are still living creatures, yet we have to power to use them for our own needs. In this case, it was to further their magical research but you can relate that to our world. Using animals to test makeup and medical products.

Yonebayashi compares their journey to the arc faced by the new film’s protagonist, a young girl who gains and then loses magical powers and decides to soldier on with her human talents instead. “This felt similar to what we were facing in leaving the magical world of Studio Ghibli, and starting as individuals to make a new film at Studio Ponoc,” he says. “I thought this was very meaningful as the first film we would make.”

Ratings:

IMDb: 6.8/10

Anime-Planet: 3.8/5

My thoughts: I adore this film. It could be a Studio Ghibli film, that shows the work and effort Studio Ponoc put into their first movie. It is a creative story with a beautiful and unique world. If you enjoy any of the Studio Ghibli Films you will also love the Studio Ponoc movies.

Have you seen Mary and the Witch’s Flower? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below

Thanks for reading!!

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