When the legendary Hayao Miyazaki announced his retirement, it was immediately unclear what was happening to his creative home, Studio Ghibli. Although initial reports had Japan’s legendary animation studio shuttering for good, the truth was actually this: the company would take a break from making new films as it restructures itself in the wake of Miyazaki’s departure. However, before their temporary halt, the animation house was able to complete work on “When Marnie Was There,” and now the trailer for the dubbed U.S. version has arrived online to give your tear ducts a workout.
Like its Japanese counterpart, the U.S. release of “When Marnie Was There” follows a young girl named Anna, who spends a summer in a sleepy town by the sea where she finds an old mansion out in the marshes. There she meets a girl named Marnie and forms an unlikely friendship. As with most English-language versions of Studio Ghibli films, the new release has a stellar cast that this time includes Hailee Steinfeld, John C. Reilly, Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper in “Mad Men”), Geena Davis, Kathy Bates, Ellen Burstyn, and Catherine O’Hara.
READ MORE: From Best To Worst: Ranking The Films Of Hayao Miyazaki
The trailer is just over 90-seconds and really leans into the melancholic undercurrent of the film (and that’s before you even include the new Priscilla Ahn song). It’s a short and beautiful look at what will probably end up being a beautiful film. Watch the trailer below.
“When Marnie Was There” opens in limited release on May 22nd.