Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Mary and the Witch’s Flower

April 22, 2018

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Mary and the Witch’s Flower

Mary and the Witch’s Flower is the latest release from GKIDS. GKIDS is the only distributor that can routinely release animated films in limited release and have them do well at the box office. For example, this film earned over $2 million domestically. The film doesn’t come out on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack until May the 1st, but the screener arrived early and I was able to get to the review this weekend. Is it worth waiting for?

The Movie

The movie starts in media res, which is not only a great way to start a movie, it is a fun phrase to say. A building is on fire and a young girl is trying to sneak away, but she’s spotted before long and forced to flee on her broomstick while being chased by strange flying fish / water elementals. She’s getting away, but then the building explodes, incinerating her pursuers and forcing her down below the clouds. There the sun is shining and her magical powers fail here, sending her, her broom, and the small bag she was carrying to fall to the ground. We don’t see her fate, but the small bag opens and several seeds roll out. They cause everything, plant and animal, to rapidly age and the broomstick is covered by newly sprouted trees.

We then get to Mary Smith, who just moved to the British countryside to live with her great Aunt, Charlotte. She doesn’t know anyone there and trying to help out at her house just causes problems. When she meets a kid her own age, Peter, he teases her for her clumsiness and her red hair, both are traits she hates. Later, while eating lunch in the field, a black cat visits her for a moment before wandering off. When Mary follows the cat, it seems to change colors. It isn’t until the cat leads Mary to a clearing that she realizes there are two cats, Tib and Gib, who happen to be Peter’s cats. The two cats are very angry about a flower, which has berries on it just like the ones we saw in the prologue. They are identified as Fly-by-night and local folklore says they can grant magic powers, but only for a limited time.

That night, Tib visits Mary. The cat is freaked out, but Mary manages to get it to calm down. The next day Charlotte asks Mary to deliver a package to Peter. They get talking about Peter’s cats. He’s worried, because he hasn’t seen Gib in a day. They decide to head into the woods to look for Gib, but it is a misty day and Mary was warned not to go into the woods on misty days. Then when Peter insults her hair again, she yells at him and goes off into the woods by herself. She sees Tib, but this time Tib has one of the berries in his mouth. Tib leads Mary to the broomstick from the prologue and after Mary gets it out, Tib throws the berry at her. This gets berry juice all over Mary and the broomstick and suddenly Mary can fly on the broomstick.

Okay, “fly” is a strong word in this case, but she does eventually get past the clouds and to a school hidden in a giant thunder cloud. At this point, we start to run into spoilers.

If I described Mary and the Witch’s Flower as second-tier Studio Ghibli, most people would understand that’s a compliment, right? The film is certainly inspired by the great works of Studio Ghibli, as the director, Hiromasa Yonebayashi, spent 20 years working for that studio. His style was obviously influenced by his time there, I don’t think there’s any denying that, but it doesn’t quite reach the level of classic. However, being as good as second-tier Studio Ghibli still makes Mary and the Witch’s Flower better than the vast majority of animated films that are released over here.

Everything about Mary and the Witch’s Flower makes the movie a pleasure to watch. It’s lead character is well-written and Ruby Barnhill does excellent work in providing the voice. The world created by the filmmakers is visually engaging while the action scenes are well directed. On the down side, none of what we see is fresh or original. To be fair, the book it was based on is nearing 50 years old, so it does predate the book Kikis Delivery Service was based on or the Harry Potter franchise, but that doesn’t change the fact that the film will feel very familiar to fans of those movies. This does hurt its replay value a bit; I can see myself watching the movie more than once, but it won’t be part of my regular rotation like the best of this genre has to offer.

The Extras

I only got an Awards Season screener and there are no extras on it. According to the studio, extras on the DVD / Blu-ray include a couple of interview featurettes, a making of featurette, and a press conference. That’s a lot, for a foreign-language import.

The Verdict

If you like Studio Ghibli, then you should be happy with Studio Ponoc’s first offering. Mary and the Witch’s Flower isn’t a classic, but it fills the same niche and is absolutely worth checking out. There are enough extras on the DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack to lift it to a solid purchase. It might even be a Pick of the Week contender.

Filed under: Video Review, Meari to majo no hana, Harry Potter, Lynda Baron, Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Ruby Barnhill, Louis Ashbourne Serkis