Spoilers Ahead
Just so we’re clear, you are about to read my thoughts that contains a great deal of spoilers concerning “Mary and the Witch’s Flower” which is a 2017 Japanese Animation (Anime) Movie, if this is correct, thanks for being here and read on!
“Mary and the Witch’s Flower” was made by Studio Ponoc and is based on children’s book, “The Little Broomstick,” by British Novelist, Mary Stewart. After learning this I understood the choice in having Mary’s English Dub speak with a British accent, if that choice was pointed out in the film, I must have missed it. No problem with that, just threw me off a bit as Mary reminds me of an older Ponyo.
Right off the bat you can see the Studio Ghibli inspiration with the art style and the flying blob fish. But who is this witch that looks like our main character?
In the beginning, were introduced to a red headed witch who appears to be stealing the “Witches Flower.” She’s being chased, so she calls forth her broom, who Mary will later name Little Broomstick, and after she seems to get away, she appears to pass out and her hair and clothes drastically change colors as I assume she falls to her death. The witches flower seeds fall from the bag she was carrying them in and causes the plants around to grow rapidly.
We meet Mary, who seems to be a slacker, clumsy, but wishes she wasn’t so. She currently lives with her Great Aunt Charlotte and I assume her caregiver/housekeeper, Mrs. Banks, while her parent’s are away for work. I’m not sure what age she’s supposed to be but based on my own kids and how they act, I’d say she’s between 10-12, she’s capable of doing things but she also seems very childish and eager to do more adult things like yard work but not very capable of having the patience to actually achieve the correct goals. My luck she’s actually like 13 or 14… Looked it up, based on the Fandom - Ghibli Wiki she is 13, I was close. It’s so Ghibli, it’s on the Ghibli Wiki.
Oh is this a love interest? Peter was it? Hmmm, he’s teasing her, yep, definite love interest there.
Fly by night is the name of the flower, only bloom once every 7 years.
When Red Head Witch in the beginning lost the witches flower did it cause all the plants around it to die because it seems like it grew a great deal of new life, not death, but the scene where Mary finds it shows the life around it is gone. I bet that was to show us a great deal of time had past but why would so much of it die off, that doesn’t make much since to me.
Obviously the cats didn’t want you touching the flower, why would you take the flower? She even makes a remark towards them, that she’s just taking one. Great, now there’s a horrible mist and one of the cats is missing, thanks Mary. And of course, Auntie warns her, Peter warns her, but does she listen, nope, goes into the misty forest.
Let me back up a bit, I almost thought it was her hands we saw looking at the flower, I was thinking of how old her hands looked, it ended up being Zebedee. He gives us, and Mary, the information we need about the flower and a little bit of significance to it in the beginning of the movie. The flower is called Fly-By-Night, it blooms once every seven years and is said to be desired by witches thus giving it the nickname, the witch’s flower. Now I’m wondering if this occurred after Red Head Witch showed the flower to Madam or was it desired before that instance.
Tib lost his girlfriend, poor Tib…
What’s up with this broom? Stretching it’s splinters before flying like it knows how to do? There is no way Tib is still on that broom! It’s not like he was holding on to the wood, he was “holding” onto bristles. Tib’s the new angry cat. Tib’s now a familiar and has to be leashed, poor Tib.
She wanted something to do, well, welcome to an unfamiliar places, bizarre humanoids, and schoolwork. So was Mr. Flanagan, aka broom guy, transformed? He reacted like he was and he freaked out when the doors to the school opened, was he even supposed to be there, did he once upon a time claim to be a student or employee and get found out and transformed so now he’s forced to watch over brooms?
You’re hurting Tib, calm down Mary! Poor Tib…
How did they know a new student was coming when she’s not a new student, who was supposed to be the new student? Also just realized broom guy didn’t read all the rules to her, just the first one which makes me wonder again did he trespass and end up being transformed.
Oh man, I kinda wanted to see one of those runners fall into the flames, I don’t know why, but I was a bit satisfied with the chick nearly falling from the rock climbing area.
It’s like the perfect abduction plan, compliment the heck out of a child that always feels inadequate, be sure to include her frizzy red hair as one of the best things in the world to have and bam!, Mary now believes she is very desired and now trusts you!
Poor Tibb…
Don’t get cocky, Mary, you literally don’t know jack diddly squat but the name of the flower that gave you these powers.
Oh no, I hear PETA planning a cartoon against this film after that scene with the experiments but of course, they’d ignore the end where ALL the animals are saved. I’m assuming that boy in the experiments is dead.
Remember what I was saying earlier about abducting Mary, well because she seemed to have trusted the Madam, she told her about the flower instead of just getting through her time there and going home forever.
That was a delayed reaction to a painful bottom, does magic help relieve pain? Can I get some of that flower power?
Yep, it’s all your fault, if you didn’t get all comfy with telling Madam the truth, then give her that note regarding someone you didn’t realize was important to you, then you wouldn’t be dealing with this and maybe could’ve avoided going back. But the story had to get her back for the revelation that Gib was taken with all the other innocent animals and transformed.
Yes, I also understand she goes back to save him because she’s selfless.
Oh My God, I just realized who Great Aunt Charlotte is, she’s the girl that stole the flower and lost her red hair when she went falling to the Earth below. But was she a witch? Or did she also get power from the Witch’s Flower and for some reason it gave her red hair tomake it easy to access areas? Idk, is the flower adaptive and learned that red hair is a good thing?
Peter looks like Link from Legend of Zelda in that cloak.
The Animals are FREE! How did the animals know that dropping into the water would put them in bubbles to escape? Have they escaped before?
I was going to say just jump but then comes Mr. Flanagan to the rescue and not even realizing something bigger is happening. Should’ve just jumped down on the back of one of the larger animals. I wonder if broom guy was going to be in trouble after all was said and done, after all, he did help them during the chase AND Madam and Doc D saw him.
The little cottage by the sea seems to have taken care of itself, even fresh food, how long was she gone though, how old is Auntie now and how old was she back then. She seemed like she was older than Mary at the time she was attending the college.
Man, being evil certainly changes someone’s body.
YES, Auntie was the young witch! She’s still a witch. But why did she fall and lose her hair color? Was it to throw off the Madam so they couldn’t sense her?
Ya know, if Mary hadn’t picked the flower, they wouldn’t be going through this right now, but those animals would be still transformed so I guess it’s a good thing she didn’t listen to the cats warnings.
Now you ride on the backs of the animals. Animals to the rescue!
That monkey is like the best, a little comic relief is nice, I started to get a little riled up there.
I guess Mr. Flanagan knew what was going on with the animals and he’s just a humanoid animal and wasn’t transformed, I wouldn’t want to go through the gates either.
Now Madam cares, now she wants to fix the mistake.
Mr. Flanagan is either delusional or just ignores everything that’s going on.
I absolutely love Mary’s hair in a single ponytail, it’s my preferred hairstyle as well.
So are they dating now or just friends? I wonder how she’ll feel when her parents come back, do they live far away or did she move in with her Great Aunt so she wouldn’t have to change schools. I read in a wiki after watching that she and her parents were moving in, that’ll be nice. She seemed to not know anyone around so I’m assuming she used to live in a different town.
Will Auntie start using magic again, now that she doesn’t have to worry about being tracked down? That little cottage was super cute and the house missed her so much, I think she should take visit.
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