Mary And The Witch’s Flower just arrived at Netflix, and it’s undoubtedly one of the best children’s animations in the streaming giant’s library.
This film comes from Studio Ponoc, which was birthed after the former staff at Studio Ghibli decided to create their own artsy animation studio - think of Studio Ponoc as the phoenix which arose from the ashes of the dearly departed Studio Ghibli. The name of the new studio actually stems from the Croatian word ponoć, meaning "midnight", i.e. "the beginning of a new day".
Though, Ghibli isn’t quite dead yet; the studio is again working with legendary director Hayao Miyazaki, this time on a CGI-animated film. We all know that when Miyazaki says he’s retiring, it really means he’s taking some time out to think about his next project (in case you’re wondering, his latest film is titled Boro the Caterpillar and is set to premiere in 2020).
In any case, Mary And The Witch’s Flower is Ponoc’s attempt to keep the sacred flame of hand-drawn animation alive, and the creative team is clearly trying very hard indeed to emulate their mentor, Hayao Miyazaki.
Now, if anyone were to craft a gushing love letter to Miyazaki, it would be me; the man is my all-time favorite director, responsible for every children’s film that I insist on watching with my children.
And The Witch’s Flower takes so much inspiration from the director’s work that it crosses the line from homage into outright imitation; I lost count of the number of scenes that were lifted from Ghibli’s filmography. But as Pablo Picasso once said: “good artists copy; great artists steal.”
The Witch’s Flower is saturated with color and enthusiasm, so much so that it doesn’t feel like the work of a “Diet” Studio Ghibli, but an animation studio taking its shaky first step, steadied by the firm hand of its parent.
Mary, the Kiki-ish protagonist, sets off on an adventure sparked by the discovery of a magical flower, which results in her attending a school of magic, which is so lusciously rendered that it makes one yearn for an animated adaptation of Harry Potter.
While the film boasts a brilliant voice cast, spectacular visuals, and a likable protagonist, it lacks Miyazaki’s magical storytelling instincts. But The Witch’s Flower is by no means a bad movie; it’s entertaining from start-to-finish, but doesn’t quite reach the depth of the films that it seeks to emulate.
The film is certainly one of the best hand-drawn animations I’ve seen recently, and is one of the best children’s entertainment options on Netflix.
Studio Ponoc has proved capable of crafting a beautiful film - I’m excited to see what they release next.
