Film

Mary and The Witch's Flower

Name: Mary and The Witch's Flower
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Released: 2017
Cast: Yuki Amami, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Hana Sugisaki, Fumiyo Kohinata, Hikari Mitsushima

Fairy tale

A young girl discovers a magical flower in the forest and gains witch powers for one extraordinary night. Studio Ponoc's luminous 2017 film channels Miyazaki's sense of wonder—painterly backgrounds, a girl finding courage through adventure—but moves at its own pace, lingering on small moments of joy and friendship. For anyone who wants animation that feels handmade and a story about growing up that doesn't talk down.

TMDb rating

3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love old-fashioned fantasy built on lush hand-drawn scenery and a small child's curiosity, and you don't mind a story that trusts wonder more than surprise.

Skip it if you want sharp pacing or a strong emotional hook, since its first stretch is leisurely and its charm sits in atmosphere more than in story momentum.

What it asks of you: A gentle, unhurried shape across its 103 minutes, with tension arriving in short bursts over a long, lingering build, so it rewards full attention more than background viewing.

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If you liked this

Kiki's Delivery Service1989

A young witch arrives alone in a new city and must find her place. Miyazaki's most purely joyful film: gorgeous animation, a heroine learning independence, and the particular loneliness and magic of adolescence captured in every frame.

But It's quieter and more introspective than action-driven. Some find the pacing slack, especially after the striking opening sequence.

Arrietty2010

A girl from the hidden world of tiny people makes her first human friend. Another Studio Ghibli gem about unlikely friendship, small courage, and wonder in ordinary places—gorgeously animated with the same unhurried storytelling.

But Very gentle; there's minimal conflict and the plot is straightforward. If you need stakes and tension, this moves too slowly.

Howl's Moving Castle2004

A young woman enters a world of magic, befriending a vain wizard and a fire demon. Visually sumptuous, emotionally rich, with characters who feel real beneath the fantasy. One of Miyazaki's most rewatchable films.

But The plot is deliberately loose and dreamlike. Some viewers find it frustratingly vague about what's actually happening.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Mary and The Witch's Flower

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Last Unicorn1982

Both are animated fantasies that prefer mood and wonder to plot momentum, trusting young viewers to follow a girl—or a unicorn—through spaces of genuine strangeness.

A unicorn searches for her vanished kin in a medieval fantasy world. Rotoscoped animation with a haunting Jeff Jones art style, genuine darkness lurking beneath its fairytale surface, and a story about loss that never becomes a children's film by accident.

But The animation is deliberately artificial and dated; some find it creepy rather than magical. The script is overly theatrical and the plot meanders deliberately.

The NeverEnding Story1984

A lonely boy escapes into a magical fantasy world that's slowly dying. A foundational film about the power of imagination, with practical effects and creature design that still astound. Genuinely moving about childhood and responsibility.

But The pacing is deliberate and some scenes feel cheap by modern standards. The second half drops in energy and narrative focus.

Spirited Away2001

A girl enters a magical bathhouse and must navigate its rules and dangers to save her parents. Miyazaki at peak visual invention: every frame is alive, the story is thrilling, and it works as pure adventure and as metaphor.

But It's dense and rewards attention; casual watching means you'll miss layers. The pacing in the middle section drags for some.

A Letter to Momo2012

A girl moves to a remote island after her father's death and encounters yokai (spirits). Beautifully animated exploration of grief and healing through small acts of connection. Underrated Studio Ghibli-adjacent gem with real emotional depth.

But The plot is deliberately episodic and introspective. If you want clear narrative momentum, this dwells too long in feeling and mood.

The Boy and the Heron2023

A boy searches for his stepmother in a magical tower during wartime. Miyazaki's newest: breathtakingly crafted, more experimental than his recent work, with profound ideas about loss and growing into yourself.

But It's more surreal and abstract than his earlier films. Some will find it pretentious or opaque; it doesn't explain itself.

Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet2014

Rotoscoped animation of a girl's life journey, illustrated by different directors in different styles. Visually inventive and genuinely moving about loss, love, and becoming who you're meant to be.

But Rotoscope can feel uncanny; the different animation styles are jarring rather than enriching for some viewers. Very earnest in tone.

Wolf Children2012

A woman raises two children who can transform into wolves in rural Japan. Mamoru Hosoda's masterpiece about motherhood, sacrifice, and letting go—gorgeously animated with real emotional heft and a story that builds to something profound.

But It's a film about the mundane reality of parenting more than about magic and adventure. Very slow in the middle; not everyone finds laundry as moving as the film intends.

I Lost My Body2019

Like Mary, it's animated adventure from outside the mainstream that finds magic in discovery and movement through space, but it's far more formally inventive and darker, suggesting there's toughness underneath the wonder.

A severed hand escapes from a laboratory and searches for the boy it belongs to across Paris. Stop-motion animation with astonishing energy—the hand moves like it's alive and desperate—blending adventure, mystery, and unexpected tenderness about connection and wholeness.

But The premise sounds grotesque, and it's visually odd in ways that might unsettle you. The experimental narrative jumps between timelines without warning.