Mary and the Witch's Flower (2017)

Mary and the Witch's Flower is the latest film from director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, an alumnus of Studio Ghibli, where he directed Arrietty and When Marnie Was There.
The film is the first release from Studio Ponoc, which was founded by Yoshiaki Nishimura, previously a producer at Ghibli.

The film’s parentage is pretty self-evident from the start. From its animation style, the choice of protagonist, the heavy use of flying, and like a few of Ghibli’s films (When Marnie Was There, Arietty (based on The Borrowers), Howl’s Moving Castle) being based on a book written by a female British novelist, it looks and feels like something that Ghibli could have produced.

The film literally starts with a bang with the opening action sequence, and although it quickly settles a slightly more relaxed tempo, there’s a constant sense of energy to it. It looks gorgeous, can easily hold its head up with most of Ghibli’s output, and shows a promising future for Studio Ponoc.

More importantly, it shows that the type of films that Hayao Miyazaki made will continue to be created, long after he finally decides to let retirement stick.