When Marnie Was There

2015

When Marnie Was There

Critics Consensus

When Marnie Was There is still blessed with enough visual and narrative beauty to recommend, even if it isn't quite as magical as Studio Ghibli's greatest works.

91%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 96

88%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 6,160
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When Marnie Was There Photos

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Movie Info

Sent from her foster home in the city one summer to a sleepy town by the sea in Hokkaido, Anna dreams her days away among the marshes. She believes she's outside the invisible magic circle to which most people belong - and shuts herself off from everyone around her, wearing her "ordinary face". Anna never expected to meet a friend like Marnie, who does not judge Anna for being just what she is. But no sooner has Anna learned the loveliness of friendship than she begins to wonder about her newfound friend... Based on the novel by Joan G. Robinson, When Marnie Was There is the newest film from Studio Ghibli, and the second feature film by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, the director of The Secret World of Arrietty.(C) GKids

Cast

Nanako Matsushima
Kiernan Shipka
as Marnie
Hailee Steinfeld
as Anna
Hitomi Kuroki
John C. Reilly
as Kiyomasa Oiwa
Vanessa L. Williams
as Hisako
Geena Davis
as Yoriko Sasaki
Kathy Bates
as Mrs. Kadoya
Ellen Burstyn
as Nan
Catherine O'Hara
as Elderly Lady
Ava Acres
as Sayaka Mochizuki
Grey DeLisle
as Setsu Oiwa
Raini Rodriguez
as Nobuko Kadoya
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Critic Reviews for When Marnie Was There

All Critics (96) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (87) | Rotten (9)

  • Overall, When Marnie Was There is lovely to watch but it fails to provide the celebratory ending that Studio Ghibli deserves after 30 years of animation.

    November 18, 2019 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Katie Smith-Wong

    Flick Feast
    Top Critic

  • The most Ghibli-esque touch here is the way that the natural and spirit worlds easily commingle, like overlapping cels in the same frame.

    April 19, 2019 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    Daniel Barnes

    Dare Daniel
    Top Critic

  • The mystery surprised me at times and kept a brisk pace.

    April 15, 2019 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

    Rachel Wagner

    rachelsreviews.net
    Top Critic

  • The allegory of the fantastic of Studio Ghibli's older productions, and particularly those of Miyazaki's, seems to be largely lost, and unfortunately, the film's technical prowess is not enough to surpass this issue.

    November 3, 2018 | Full Review…

    Panos Kotzathanasis

    Asian Movie Pulse
    Top Critic

  • What other animated film would take the time to focus on a shot of fresh watermelon being cut, or of laundry waving in the breeze?

    August 29, 2018 | Full Review…

    Pat Padua

    DCist
    Top Critic

  • Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and adapted from Joan G Robinson's book, the film remains hauntingly beautiful to look at, but we're on pretty familiar ground by now.

    October 23, 2017 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Matthew Bond

    The Mail on Sunday (UK)
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (96)

Audience Reviews for When Marnie Was There

  • Oct 27, 2016
    http://cinephilecrocodile.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/when-marnie-wasthere-dir-hiromasa.html
    Anthony L Super Reviewer
  • Feb 17, 2016
    There will never be enough words in the dictionary to describe how incredibly thought-provoking the films that come from Studio Ghibli are. "When Marnie Was There" is no exception to that statement. Following an introverted girl, outcast by her peers at school and being diagnosed with asthma, Anna is sent away to a relatives house in the country. Filled with trees, water, and an environment that she will feel at home in, we begin to see more of the inner-Anna as the film progresses. At the films core, it is about a young orphan girl, who is looking to find herself. She comes across a young girl named Marnie and their friendship blossoms quickly and fiercely, leading to plot twists that will have you in tears. This film is truly magnificent for everything it sets itself up for, and the payoff is emotionally satisfying in every way. This studio always knows how to write a compelling story and execute it in such a beautiful way. As always, the animation is crafted to perfection and each element has meaning. Of all the films I have had the pleasure of seeing in 2015, this is definitely one of my favourites. I truly do not have any complaints about this picture. Any questions or concerns you may have throughout the duration of this film, will be answered by the time the credits role, and if you end up enjoying this film as much as myself, you will not want that to happen. I wanted this film to keep going and going. "When Marnie Was There" is one of my favourite films from Studio Ghibli and one of the best films of 2015.
    KJ P Super Reviewer
  • Feb 16, 2016
    The animation is gorgeous like everything Studio Ghibli makes (though this is perhaps its final production, following Miyazaki's retirement), but the film is not without its flaws, such as trouble with pacing and a twisty plot whose revelations are more predictable than insightful.
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
  • Feb 08, 2016
    When Marnie Was There (2014, Japan) is yet another picturesque Studio Ghibli production with a beautiful sketch of Japanese countryside. Very much different from its predecessors in terms of narrative and propagating themes on self-discovery and self-formation with a hint of thriller and mystery, When Marnie Was There is truly a Studio Ghibli classic guaranteed to warm your heart and pinch you in all the right places.
    Jan Marc M Super Reviewer
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