When Marnie Was There by Studio Ghibli.

The previous drawing was made by: Ani Vardevaryan

There is nothing I enjoy doing more in my free time than watching a film from the incredible and fantastic Studio Ghibli. Considered by many movie buffs and critics as the best Japanese animation studio today. Each film they produce is simply a work of art that is worth watching to delight in their stories, as only they know how to tell them. If you are a lover of good cinema you must have ever seen a Ghibli film. Today I want to tell you about the last one I had the pleasure of seeing:

When Marnie was there

Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, one of the new talents emerging within Studio Ghibli, it was released in 2014 and is the last film from this studio, since they are currently in a cessation of activities. The colors, landscapes and textures that the film shows us scene after scene are an example of the technique and quality that Ghibli possesses, each image delights you, you enjoy every minute that passes. We should not distrust Yonebayashi, although he is still young we can see the great future he has, and working hand in hand with Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata it is not surprising what he has learned.

I will try not to give spoilers by telling a little about what the movie is about. As is almost always customary in Ghibli films, we have a female protagonist named Anna, a girl who is a little withdrawn and has a hard time relating to other people, with a tough past. For health reasons she goes to her uncles to stay for a couple of days. While there she will meet Marnie, a girl who will become her friend, but Anna will learn that not everything is what it seems, Marnie will help her overcome her deepest feelings.

Needless to say, this film is another work of art, we are talking about Ghibli, it should come as no surprise. But in my opinion I think that the film becomes somewhat morning in the Marnie-Anna encounters for about 20 minutes before the final outcome, this makes the surprise of the plot and the feeling of:

I know what’s going to happen!

come out afloat. As a viewer there is nothing more amazing than not knowing how a film will end until the end, well, “When Marnie Was There” loses surprise, you already suspect how it will end about ten minutes before and in my opinion it is a point that is not in the film’s favor. But it is understandable, Yonebayashi’s experience is not that great, he is just starting out at Ghibli, but he has shined with this work.

This does not mean it stops being what it is, a true gem that will undoubtedly fill you with magic, color and many sensations, the kind that this great studio knows how to awaken; I hope that now you are encouraged to watch it, then you can leave below what you thought of the movie. Not being more, see you in a next entry. See you soon.

Translated using GPT 5.3 Codex