BROOM WITH A VIEW
MARY AND THE WITCH’S FLOWER | Studio Ghibli’s successors bring us an enchanting debut…
Iwant people of all ages see this film,” director Hiromasa Yonebayashi says, talking up his new film Mary And The Witch’s Flower. Coming from a former employee of Japan’s legendary animation company Studio Ghibli, it’s not hard to believe he’s found a way to bring this stirring adaptation of Mary Stewart’s 1971 charmer The Little Broomstick to all ages.
“Work at Studio Ghibli was designed for the whole family, from children to grown-ups,” he says. “We also want to make works like that. In that sense, we have inherited the spirit of Studio Ghibli.” His new Studio Ponoc was formed with another Ghibli graduate, producer Yoshiaki Nishimura, with whom he worked on 2015’s Oscarnominated When Marnie Was There.
At the time, Hayao Miyazaki, the legendary co-founder of Ghibli, had announced his retirement. “I was not particularly surprised by the news,” says Yonebayashi. “Since we joined Studio Ghibli, we were always reminded that Ghibli will be gone some time in the future. So we were always aware it wouldn’t be eternal.” (Ironically, Miyazaki has since postponed retiring.)
For their first project, Yonebayashi wanted “to make something totally opposite” to the “quiet, serene” nature of Marnie. Mary (Ruby Barnhill) is a spirited girl whose discovery of a magic
flower takes her to a school for witches and warlocks run by the duplicitous Madam Mumblechook (Kate Winslet).
If Mary has more action than your typical Ghibli, the animation is as beautiful as ever. Yonebayashi even took a research trip to Shropshire, where Stewart’s book was set. “We had just founded the company and we didn’t have much money, [but] we made our way to England,” he explains. Flora, fauna and architecture were all studied.
It’s this authenticity mixed with some Ghibli-like weirdness that gives Mary its madcap flavour. But at its core is a serious point. “This film,” Yonebayashi says, “deals not with whether magic itself is good or bad, but whether the people who use it are good or evil.” Take that, Harry Potter.
ETA | 4 MAY / MARY AND THE WITCH’S FLOWER OPENS NEXT MONTH.