‘Mary and the Witch’s Flower’ Blu-ray Review

Features the voices of: Ruby Barnhill, Jim Broadbent, Ewen Bremner, Lynda Baron, Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Morwenna Banks, Teresa Gallagher, Rasmus Hardiker, Rebecca Kidd, Kate Winslet | Written by Riko Sakaguchi, Hiromasa Yonebayashi, David Freedman, Lynda Freedman | Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Now I’ve already reviewed Mary and the Witch’s Flower earlier this year. That first review is on Nerdly for you to check out and goes into a little more detail about things like the dubbing. However, it’s not very often I give the movies I review a second opinion but how does Mary and the Witch’s Flower hold up after a second glance?Well, honestly, there isn’t much else I can add that I didn’t already mention in my first review of the Studio Ponoc film.

The story of Mary and the Witch’s Flower is based on the children’s classic, My Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart. To those unaware of its story, a young girl called Mary has moved to the countryside and she doesn’t really fit in. One day, she comes across a mysterious and rare flower that gives her magical abilities such as bringing a broomstick to life and that broomstick leads her to a magical school. Yes, it is like Harry Potter in some ways especially in regards to the school and its main child lead but My Little Broomstick was around long before that series was written. There are similarities but Mary’s relationship with magic and its conclusion is different from Harry’s but that’s all I’m going to say on the matter… [Read my full review right here]

The animation remains incredible. Sadly, I didn’t watch this movie in HD during my first viewing but that was fixed for this second watch. In HD, the setting really comes to life. The witch’s flower looks more mystical, the flight scenes are goosebump inducing and the effects used for fires and mist are more impressive than I remember. The disc also comes with some interesting extras such as interviews with the filmmakers, a press conference with the Japanese cast and director of the film (the Japanese version is also available for you to watch alongside the dub) and a small behind the scenes look of Mary and the Witch’s Flower. Each are about fifteen minutes long. The full extras include:

• NTV Special: Creating Mary and The Witch’s Flower
• A Special Conversation: SEKAI NO OWARI, Hiromasa Yonebayashi, and Yoshiaki Nishimura
• Film Completion Press Conference
• Theatrical Promotional Movie
• Interview with the Filmmakers (Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimura)
• Trailers
• TV Spots

Ultimately, even after a second watch, Mary and the Witch’s Flower still remains a charming animated movie and it’s a good follow-up from the director who brought us When Marnie Was There. The film is available on Blu-Ray and DVD now from Altitude