'Mary and The Witch's Flower' Is Returning To U.S. Theaters

Studio Ponoc recently released their debut film, Mary and The Witch's Flower, in U.S. theaters for a very limited time, and that limited release was so successful that the film is getting more screenings.

Mary and The Witch's Flower opened in theaters on January 18 as part of a Fathom Events promotion, but now Fandango and different theaters across the United States are listing new screenings for the film (which you can check out here).

The English dub of the film will screen on February 24 (of which you can see the opening scene here), and the original Japanese language version with English subtitles will be screening two days later on February 26. Given that the film earned $1.4 million as of January 21, it is no question why the film would open up more opportunities for curious anime and movie fans.

Mary and The Witch's Flower is directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who directed Studio Ghibli's When Marnie Was There and The Secret World of Arietty (Arietty in its native Japan). He also wrote the script with Riko Sakaguchi, who wrote for The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. When Marnie Was There's Takatsugu Muramatsu composed the music for the film, and many former Studio Ghibli members also contributed to the film overall.

The English dub cast inclueds the likes of Ruby Barnhill as the titular Mary, Kate Winslet as Madam Mumblechook, Jim Broadbent as Doctor Dee, as well as Ewen Bremmer, Lydna Baron, Rasmus Hardiker, Teresa Gallagher, Morwenna Banks, and Louis Ashbourne Serkis.

Mary and The Witch's Flower is based off of Mary Stuart's The Little Broomstick. The story follows a little girl named Mary, who finds a mysterious flower which grants her the powers of a witch for a single night. It is Studio Ponoc's first feature film, which is a studio comprised of many former Studio Ghibli employees.

Mary and the Witch's Flower was released in Japan on July 8, 2017 and was distributed by Toho. It screened on over 400 theaters in Japan, and opened at second place overall. Earning 428 million yen during its opening weekend, it fared commercially better than director Yonebayashi's previous feature film, When Marnie Was There.

The film was licensed for an English language release in North America by GKIDS, and had its world premiere in Los Angeles, CA in October 2017. GKIDS has licensed many memorable anime films such as Mamoru Hosoda's Summer Wars, Goro Miyazaki's From Up on Poppy Hill, and Isao Takahata's The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.