It seems you can’t keep Studio Ghibli down, or at least the people working within its walls. It was just last month that we learned that the legendary Hayao Miyazaki — once retired — was now working on a new feature length film, albeit one that might not be finished for years, and that producers at the now shuttered Studio Ghibli don’t seem too optimistic about. However, Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Yoshiaki Nishimura, and several former employees have gone off and started Studio Ponoc, and it looks like fans of Studio Ghibli style animation and storytelling have a lot to look forward to.
“Mary And The Witch’s Flower” will be the first offering from the fledgling outfit. Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi (“The Secret World Of Arrietty,” “When Marnie Was There“), and based on Mary Stewart‘s book “The Little Broomstick,” the first teaser looks like it has everything admirers could want, including beautiful artwork and a fantastical, playful spirit. The movie uses the premise of the source material, but apparently tweaks the second half, letting the character overcome the obstacles in her path with courage instead of magic.
There’s no hard release date for the film yet, but “Mary And The Witch’s Flower” is slated to arrive in 2017, and so it’s probably a safe bet to appear somewhere on the festival circuit. [Slate]
