Mary and the Witch’s Flower

(Studio Ponoc | GKIDS) Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi Release Date: Winter 2017 Synopsis: Based on Mary Stewart’s book The Little Broomstick, a young girl develops magical powers, including the ability to ride a broom, after crushing a strange flower. She journeys to a land that houses a college for witches, where sinister experiments are taking place. Box Office to Date: $27.7 million worldwide The Word: “A strong effort from a newly assembled studio and a solid film in its own right. It’s true that the film does play a little too much by the book, but when each frame is as lovingly crafted as they are here, it’s hard to begrudge the film for it.” – Kim Morrisey, Anime News Network. Nomination Chances: Despite Oscar’s fondness for anime, low visibility in the U.S. could hurt its chances. However, those who have been missing magical feature titles from Studio Ghibli might rally behind the title as the next best thing.