Former Studio Ghibli director Hiromasa Yonebayashi has released the trailer for his new project, Mary and the Witch's Flower.
The director, best known for his work on Arrietty and When Marnie Was There, left Ghibli around the end of 2014. For his new film, he’s teaming up with another former Studio Ghibli producer, Yoshiaki Nishimura at Nishimura’s new production company, Studio Ponoc.
Mary and the Witch’s Flower is based on Mary Stewart's book The Little Broomstick, and follows a young girl who discovers she has mysterious powers that will last for one night only. Based on the trailer, Yonebayashi and Nishimura are taking quite a bit of influence from their time at Ghibli. The art work is clearly inspired by Ghibli films and it seems to imitate that kind of fantastical, animated story-telling style.
Studio Ponac released two trailers for the film, and while the Japanese version contains a Summer 2017 release date, the English version just has a 2017 marker at the end. It isn’t unusual for Japanese films to be released ahead of their North American counterparts. At this time, there is no specific release window for Mary and the Witch’s Flower in North America.