When Marnie Was There

WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE

Director : Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Year : 2016

Genre : Anime

Rating : *****

Whether it be the mystic majesty of 'Spirited Away', the heart-wrenching melancholia of 'The Wind Rises', the watercolour wonders of 'The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya' or the incredible imagination of 'My Neighbour Totoro', Studio Ghibli has consistently created some of the most beguiling, bewitching and most beloved movies in animation history. Founded in 1985 and having produced over 20 very different and unique masterworks in their own regards, many of which earning critical accolades, award commendations and big box office numbers, the Japanese studio has become one of the most reliable and respected companies working in cinema today.

So it with a great sense of sadness that 'When Marnie Was There', a distinctly enchanting adaptation of Joan G. Robinson's quintessentially British tale, appears to mark the closing of the curtain for Ghibli. Following the departures of leading animators and co-founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata in 2013 and 2014 respectively, the anime company announced that it would be subsequently halting work on any further productions. As someone who adores almost every one of their pictures, I am of course devastated by this news but if Studio Ghibli are indeed gone, they have left on the most poignant and most beautiful of swansongs. 

Directed by 'The Secret World Of Arriety's Hiromasa Yonebayashi, 'When Marnie Was There' tells the story of Anna, an introverted young girl who upon arriving at a distant relatives house to escape the hustle and bustle of her life, becomes enchanted by the strange marsh-surrounded house overlooking the town's lake, as well as the young blond-haired girl who appears to occupy it. Learning the girl's name to be Marnie, the two form a deep friendship and what ensues is a beautifully told saga of undying love and crippling loss told in that most perfect of Ghibli fashion. To say any more about the plot would spoil not only one of the best animated films of the year but one of the best films of the year period.

As is the case with the best of Studio Ghibli's work, 'When Marnie Was There' manages to explore mature themes and concepts without ever losing focus of their younger intended audience and this is why they have consistently managed to survive in a market over-saturated with mainstream Hollywood fodder such as the various Disney, Dreamworks and Blue Sky features which may rake in the dollars but says little to nothing about the human condition. With it's universal themes of adoption, parental loss, teenage angst, loneliness and self-fulfillment, 'When Marnie Was There' may just be the most emotionally valuable, and indeed, the most tear-inducing movie of 2016 so far. I cried at various intervals throughout the movies slick running time and by it's end credits, I had to hide the waves of tears streaming from my eyes. 

Unlike almost every other Ghibli film, I saw 'When Marnie Was There' in the English dubbed version and while I would have preferred to watch the film in it's original English subtitled version, the American actors chosen to voice the many strange and wonderful characters of 'When Marnie Was There' are all great in their respective roles. Heading this cast is Academy Award nominee Hailee Steinfeld ('True Grit') who lends a great of class and existential strain to her performance as the likeable yet troubled Anna while 'The Legend Of Korra's Kiernan Shipka's dulcet tones bring the curious character of Marnie of life with grace and mythical intrigue. Other actors lending their vocal talents include John C. Reilly, Geena Davis, Catherine O' Hara, Ellen Burstyn and Kathy Bates and every one of them inject an unequaled amount of passion and dedication to their performances, no matter how big or small they may be. But it is the two leading girls who rightly remain the focus of the story and they really do outstanding work here - with the incredibly talented Steinfeld delivering one of the most emotional and identifiable vocal performances in recent children's cinema.

With exquisitely detailed animation, unanimously terrific vocal work, a story that works both the heart and the head in equal measure and a Takatsugu Muramatsu written soundtrack that manages to be both magical and utterly devastating at the same time, 'When Marnie Was There' is about as perfect as a movie can be. It is an absolute travesty that dross like 'Mother's Day' can break it into the UK box office top 10 while genuine works of art barely scratch the surface but if you are a fan of anime, Studio Ghibli or just life-affirming cinema in general, then this is imperative viewing material. I sincerely hope that isn't the end for the illustrious animation studio as I know that they have so much more to say and to show. But if this is the end, then I want to take this opportunity to say -

''Thank you Studio Ghibli, so very much''.