ea_030402 This is a poignant masterpiece birthed by Studio Ghibli. Wonderful story line and picturesque scenery accompanied by relatable protagonist and her struggles to accept herself. This movie will not disappoint you. The twist at the end would leave you crying for a long time. Would totally watch again.

JLRVancouver "When Marnie Was There" is a strikingly beautiful animated feature from the renowned Studio Ghibli. Based on a British novel of the same name, the story follows Anna, a troubled teenager who finds friendship and ultimately revelation in Marnie, a mysterious young girl who seems to live both in Anna's world and in her dreams. Like all Ghibli productions, the animation is lush, detailed and fluid. The voice work in the English version I watched is good despite being somewhat flat and generic at times. I very much like Studio Ghibli movies but find in general that anime adds more to fantasy films (where it can make unreal real, such as "Howl's Moving Castle" or "Spirited Away") than it does to more 'realistic' films such as "When Marnie Was There". Despite that, and being both the wrong gender and decades away from the target audience, I really enjoyed, and would recommend, "When Marnie Was There".

Granger It is a very rare thing that I will give a movie a rating of 10, but "When Marnie Was There" deserves every bit of it. I will offer no spoilers by discussing any aspect of plot, but will say this: the characters, story line, animation and conclusion formed as perfect a film as I've ever seen. This is especially surprising since it is animated, but then we have come to expect a high bar being set from Studio Ghibli.A note in advance: this isn't for adrenaline junkies. The plot is slow-moving and non-pivotal, but it flows so smoothly and the story is told so very well that the time just passes by. The wrap-up is superb, characters and story-telling holding true to the last.It is difficult to pick a Ghibli film as the "best", but I would certainly recommend this as a starter to the company's line. It's nothing like Howl's Moving Castle or Spirited Away-- but it is certainly a top-of-the-muffin creation.Ten Stars. Absolutely.

kosmasp If you love Animes, I don't have to sell this movie to you. It's not that you know exactly what is going to happen all the time, but you know you will get quality. And there is a lot of story here. A lot of twists and a lot of fantasy going around. You'll either like this about it or you may think it's overloaded. But you cannot fault the movie for not having enough substance in any case.In the end all will make sense and I guess you could see things coming, if you looked closely enough. It's really a fantastic ride we get to enjoy with this one. While the animation style seems to remain the same (simplistic some may call it), it has always been about the characters and the story. So while there have been advantages and new styles and what not, the Animes may still look the same, but they do feel fresh