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Ex-Ghibli Director Yonebayashi to release Mary and the Witch's Flower next year

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D

duckroll

Member
Site: http://www.maryflower.jp/
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrN9QZLmJ0E


Mary and the Witch's Flower (AKA The Little Broomstick)

Original Author: Mary Stewart
Script: Riko Sakaguchi (Princess Kaguya)
Script/Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Arrietty)
Music: Takatsugu Muramatsu (Marnie)
Producer: Yoshiaki Nishimura (Marnie, Princess Kaguya)
Animation Production: Studio Ponoc

Coming out Summer 2017 in Japan. Studio Ponoc is a new studio established by Nishimura and Yonebayashi after they left Ghibli. The film is based on Mary Stewart's children's story The Little Broomstick
 
R

Ratrat

Member
They are channeling Ghibli/Kiki HARD.

His two films are good and this looks pretty nice. I just hope it differentiates itself a bit.
 
A

A-V-B

Member
Wow. Someone's trying their damndest to keep the Ghibli art style burning. It's almost overwhelming.
 
D

Deputy Dangle

Member
When Marnie Was There showed a lot of growth from Yonebayashi to me. Very eager to see how he and the other ex-Ghibli members work under their own studio.
 
M

Messofanego

Banned
Wow, I wouldn't be able to tell that this isn't a Ghibli production cause they nail the animation and look.

I want to watch Kiki's Delivery Service again.
 
L

Lafiel

と呼ぶがよい
Looks good.

I'm also so out of the anime loop that I had no idea Yonebayashi left Ghibli lol.
 
T

TheChaos0

Member
Lafiel said:
Looks good.

I'm also so out of the anime loop that I had no idea Yonebayashi left Ghibli lol.
Click to expand...

He left shortly after Marnie. He essentially knew that there wouldn't much work for him there.

The trailer looks good. Wish they would do their own thing with the style but it looks really good, so no complaints.
 
Z

ZombiePlatypus

Member
That looks stunning.

Arriety was just ok, and I really didn't like Marnie, but, the trailer got me super hyped and optimistic for this. Would love for this to be amazing, and have his studio carry Ghibli's torch.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
What pushed it into derivative territory for me was the goo creatures at :20 - they look very Ponyo-esque when they shoot out of the clothes and then at the end when they're flying, they look awfully like the multi winged flying machines that Miyazaki likes to do.

bomma_man said:
that's totoro!
Click to expand...

(i know :)
 
H

hosannainexcelsis

Member
RatskyWatsky said:
What pushed it into derivative territory for me was the goo creatures at :20 - they look very Ponyo-esque when they shoot out of the clothes and then at the end when they're flying, they look awfully like the multi winged flying machines that Miyazaki likes to do.
Click to expand...

If fluid, surrealistic animation is derivative, then I'll take more derivative anime, thanks.
 
X

Xun

Member
8-Bit Sunset said:
Fun fact:
My wife's cousin used to work for Ghibli and said that is was a living hell, and he was glad to be out.
And he wasn't the only one who felt this way either.

Movie looks excellent btw.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately this is the case with a lot of Japanese companies, although animation in particular I could imagine would be a nightmare.

It's gruelling enough in the west, let alone in Japan.
 
T

Tertullian

Member
It really does look derivitive as hell, and it ain't just the art style. But I'm in. I'm a guy who liked Children Who Chase Lost Voices, and that was an incredibly transparent Miyazaki knock-off too.
 
R

Ratrat

Member
duckroll said:
Is it derivative if it's literally the same people doing the designs, animation, and direction though? Last I checked Ghibli wasn't a person! :)
Click to expand...
The trailer ends with 魔女再び or something. They are basically forcing a Kiki association.
 
H

hosannainexcelsis

Member
UrbanRats said:
Are you being dense on purpose? I don't get it.
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Eh? You said this wasn't Kaguya and I agreed; this doesn't have the loose, warm approach to digital animation that Isao Takahata and Kenichi Konishi used in My Neighbors the Yamadas and The Tale of Princess Kaguya. This is more in line with the approach Yonebayashi has used in his prior films.
 
G

GCX

Member
Bits N Pieces said:
Robbie Collin from The Telegraph has an amazing piece in today's paper that is well worth a read for anyone intetested

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/...magic-studio-ghibli-back-make-world-brighter/

You will need to register (or can i just C&P the whole thing?) to read the whole article but its worth it for any fans of Ghibli's work and where the new studio is heading. Two folk in the office have been talking about it most of the morning.
Click to expand...
According to the article, out of a group of 12 long-serving Ghibli artists eight accepted Studio Ponoc's job offer.

So yeah, couple with Nishimura and Yonebayashi they've got quite an impressive number of Ghibli talent on board.
 
U

UrbanRats

Member
hosannainexcelsis said:
Eh? You said this wasn't Kaguya and I agreed; this doesn't have the loose, warm approach to digital animation that Isao Takahata and Kenichi Konishi used in My Neighbors the Yamadas and The Tale of Princess Kaguya. This is more in line with the approach Yonebayashi has used in his prior films.
Click to expand...

Right, but i didn't meant it literally.
Again this looks great, the animation and all, but as far as world design, premise, character design, it all looks very safe, for what are Ghibli's usual sensibilities, and even beyond that, a little with with red hair is not the most original idea.
This is what i (and i think Ratsky) was getting at.

It's true that it's weird to call it derivative when they essentially invented that style, but at the same time, it does feel very safe.

Kaguya to me looked like a more interesting concept beyond the art style.
I could use Wind Rises or Only Yesterday to make the same example i think.

That said, i love Kiki, so i'm looking forward to this for sure.
 
X

/XX/

Member
Branduil said:
Does Ghibli even have anyone left?
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Mr. Nishimura himself said he is still at Studio Ghibli (it is possible that he will work along Isao Takahata on his little project).

The latest NHK documentary centred around Hayao Miyazaki's new animated short production perfectly show us how they've went for a project-to-project contract basis; at the beginning of it, in January 2015, we can see the 'studio 1' building empty but by June and after meeting with some 3DCGI animators, Mr. Suzuki & Mr. Miyazaki set-up a new space in the usual production department at the first floor to accommodate them all. These cycles will probably be the new normal, except for permanent members on the administrative team floors, CM production or 'studio 5' training staff and subsidiaries like Mr. Momose's Studio Kajino.
 
S

Shergal

Member
It's more that Yonebayashi is derivative of Miyazaki. You could presumably chalk that up to a brand thing before, but not anymore

It does look nice at any rate
 
G

GCX

Member
Shergal said:
It's more that Yonebayashi is derivative of Miyazaki. You could presumably chalk that up to a brand thing before, but not anymore

It does look nice at any rate
Click to expand...
He worked such a long time with Miyazaki that he probably can't help it anymore.

Like the Telegraph article says:
Yonebayashi had joined Ghibli in 1996 as an animator on Princess Mononoke, and had spent much of his time since working directly under Miyazaki, soaking up the master’s style and technique. (Maro’s first film as director, Arrietty, was adapted from Mary Norton’s Borrowers stories by Miyazaki himself.)
Click to expand...
 
H

hosannainexcelsis

Member
UrbanRats said:
Right, but i didn't meant it literally.
Again this looks great, the animation and all, but as far as world design, premise, character design, it all looks very safe, for what are Ghibli's usual sensibilities, and even beyond that, a little with with red hair is not the most original idea.
This is what i (and i think Ratsky) was getting at.

It's true that it's weird to call it derivative when they essentially invented that style, but at the same time, it does feel very safe.

Kaguya to me looked like a more interesting concept beyond the art style.
I could use Wind Rises or Only Yesterday to make the same example i think.

That said, i love Kiki, so i'm looking forward to this for sure.
Click to expand...

It's fair to call this safe, when this is Yonebayashi's third adaptation of a British children's book. Also, going by the Telegraph article posted earlier it appears that Studio Ponoc is self-consciously intending to carry on the Ghibli house style. I don't think that's inherently a bad thing, but opinions may differ.

NHarmonic. said:
Why can't they change the artstyle? It's been done a thousand times. Ugh.
Click to expand...

If you want animated films with art styles different from the Ghibli house style, fortunately there are plenty of other animated films like that being made, such as In This Corner of the World or Yoru wa Mijikashi Arukeyo Otome.
 
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