When Marnie was There, Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Studio Ghibli

When Marnie was There is a Japanese animation directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and written by Masashi Andō. It was released in 2014. It is based on a novel by Joan G Robinson of the same name. The film goes on an emotional ride, following a young artistic and introverted girl called Anna. Anna lives with her foster parents in Sapporo. She has become uncommunicative with them. She comes back from school one day having suffered an asthma attack. After talking to the doctor her foster parents decide to send them to relatives of her foster mum, Setsu and Kiyomasa Oiwa. As she meets them she is struck by an old unused Silo. Later she stumbles across an old mansion-house on the other side of an old salt marsh. She wades across to investigate. She feels drawn to it but doesn’t know why. This is the start of her adventures and her relationship with the mysterious Marnie.

This may not quite be the best story by Ghibli but I couldn’t help but be drawn into Anna’s world and feel for her. Studio Ghibli are so good at bringing characters to life technically and emotionally. Thus when I say this is not quite the best story this is just relative to Studio Ghibli’s very high standards. It is a moving and human story.