Studio Ghibli is one of my favorite animation studios. In 2015, Studio Ponoc was established as Studio Ghibli was in hiatus. That being said, Mary and the Witch's Flower was Ponoc's first feature film produced.
I've been excited to see where the next movie leads ever since Mary and The Witch's Flower!
No one ever said they had to make the images so pretty but they DID! I am absolutely stoke
If you can, go watch Modest Heroes, by Studio Ponoc. The first story was cute, the second one surprised me and the third one (Invisible) hit too close to home. The last one was my favorite, not only animation-wise but also because I could relate too well to the main character.
(In loving memory of Pat Caroll; thanks for all the chills (In a good way).)
Young Cream Puff Cookie follows a mysterious owl into the nearby forest and discovers an old broomstick and the strange Fly-by-Night flower, a rare plant that blossoms once every seven years. Together, the flower and the broomstick whisk Cream Puff above the clouds, and far away to Endor College -- a school of magic run by headmistress Ursula and the brilliant Licorice Cookie, as well as the eccentric Almond Cookie and supportive Latte Cookie. But there are terrible things happening at the school, and when Cream Puff tells a lie, she must risk her life to try and set things right.
Cream Puff Cookie as Mary Stewart (Cookie Run Kingdom)
Ursula as Madame Mumblechook (The Little Mermaid)
Azul Ashengrotto as Himself/Madame Mumblechook’s Son (Twisted Wonderland)
Flotsam and Jetsam as Themselves/Madame Mumblechook’s Helpers (The Little Mermaid)
Owlcorn as Tib (Cookie Run)
Quaxly as Gib (Pokemon)
Tuff as Peter (Kirby)
Tiff as Herself/Peter’s Sister (Kirby)
Licorice Cookie as Doctor Dee (Cookie Run)
Poison Mushroom Cookie as Themselves/Doctor Dee’s Assistant (Cookie Run)
Latte Cookie and Almond Cookie as Themselves/Mary’s Friendly Teachers (Cookie Run)
Walnut Cookie as Herself/Mary’s Classmate (Cookie Run)
Nick Wilde as Flanagan (Zootopia)
Judy Hopps as Herself/Flanagan’s Coworker (Zootopia)
Lucy Wong as Miss Banks (Balan Wonderworld)
Bruce Stone as Zebedee (Balan Wonderworld)
Various Characters as The Endor College Students
Nabooru as The Red Haired Witch (The Legend of Zelda)
Hollyberry Cookie as Great Aunt Charlotte (Cookie Run)
Princess Cookie and Tiger Lily Cookie as Themselves/Mary’s Cousins (Cookie Run)
Fi as The Light Fairy (The Legend of Zelda)
And here’s the hint to my next Casting (It’s a Dreamworks Spin Off):
Mary and the Witch’s Flower follows Mary, who has recently moved in with her elderly great grandmother when she comes across a strange flower. The flower turns out to contain magic and sends Mary on a journey to discover a magical world, hidden right under her nose.
This movie is interesting and I enjoyed Mary as a character. I could spot one of the plot twists from a mile away but I still mostly enjoyed until the last 20 minutes. I just felt like it lasted way too long and felt like I was just waiting for the movie to end. The movie is nowhere near bad, in fact it’s very well done at times but it just went on a little too long for me. Which is a shame however, for the studio’s first movie, I think this was a good first showcase. 3.5/5.
Collection of Mary and the Witch's Flower Concept Art | 2018
Over the weekend, I watched Studio Ponoc's very first animated film, Mary and the Witch's Flower. Overall, the film was amazing, and it had a very similar animation and art style to Studio Ghibli.
Studio Ponoc was founded by Yoshiaki Nishimura in 2015 who was the former lead film producer for Studio Ghibli.