74
Metascore
26 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 95The VergeTasha RobinsonThe VergeTasha RobinsonMary and the Witch’s Flower doesn’t just borrow elements from Ghibli, it feels like a complete continuation of the studio’s work. It’s a welcome relief for every animation fan who thought that particular era of Japanese animation had, after 30 years, quietly come to a close.
- 87TheWrapRay GreeneTheWrapRay GreeneA lovingly crafted fantasy on an epic scale, Mary and the Witch’s Flower is a film about transformation made by filmmakers in transition.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweThe Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweDirector Yonebayashi Hiromasa (When Marnie Was There) returns with a more lighthearted anime feature in Mary and the Witch’s Flower, a stirring adventure most suitable for tweens and teens.
- 80Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangLos Angeles TimesJustin ChangIf Yonebayashi’s movie doesn’t have the visual richness and imaginative depth of Ghibli masterpieces like Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away,” its emotional warmth and wondrously inviting hand-drawn imagery carry on that company’s proud tradition.
- 75The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloIt’s a movie with no greater ambition than to charm and occasionally delight. Mission accomplished.
- 70The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottThe spell Mr. Yonebayashi casts is effective, but also ephemeral. It’s minor magic.
- 67The Film StageDaniel SchindelThe Film StageDaniel SchindelMary and the Witch’s Flower is safe, containing no assertion of Ponoc as an artistic force beyond its overall technical accomplishment.
- 63Slant MagazinePeter GoldbergSlant MagazinePeter GoldbergThis is a film about the adolescent pangs to belong that also mines its tale of magic and malevolence for an imaginative allegory about the excesses of scientific inquiry.
- 60New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaNew York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaWhat Mary lacks in the resources to visually gobsmack, it partially makes up for with its unstoppable titular ginger, whose empathy, depressive streak, and enviably fierce eyebrows place her shoulder to shoulder with any Ghibli heroine.
- 58IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichMary and the Witch’s Flower may not be a great film — it occasionally struggles just to be a good one — but it’s a convincing proof-of-concept, and that might be more important in the long run.