7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
A young girl is sent to the country for health reasons, where she meets an unlikely friend in the form of Marnie, a young girl with flowing blonde hair. As the friendship unravels it is possible that Marnie has closer ties to the protagonist than we might expect.
Starring: Sara Takatsuki, Kasumi Arimura, Nanako Matsushima, Susumu Terajima, Toshie NegishiForeign | 100% |
Anime | 97% |
Family | 44% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0
French: DTS 5.0
English, English SDH, French
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When Marnie Was There plays with a superficially elegant sophistication, an emotionally gentle and filling story line, and a sprinkling of faith and fate in one's search for self-identity. All of these things come in a broadly accessible package, yielding a movie that holds the audience's hand as it explores a few challenging and darker themes but leaves the viewers satisfied for the journey and grateful to the characters for bringing them along. It's another in a growing line of beautifully rendered, effortlessly contemplative, gently inspiring, and broadly approachable films from Studio Ghibli (The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, The Wind Rises). Even as When Marnie Was There releases at a point where the acclaimed studio's fate remains in question, it's a testament to the traditions, styles, and purposes that have made Ghibli one of the most renowned not only in the animation space but the broader cinema landscape as well.
Marine.
When Marnie Was There arrives on Blu-ray with a stunning 1080p transfer. The animation is clean and precisely defined. Every line is straight and each detail commands the screen, whether nicely textures and layered backgrounds or the more complex character and environment moving parts in the foreground. Support textures like trees and buildings are perhaps the most impressive given the rather simple, yet intricately rendered, character animations. Colors are vibrant and varied. The palette is consistently accurate and impressively nuanced, whether outdoor greens, multicolored attire, or support accents in a train station or around town. Black levels are inherently deep and pure. Motion is effortless and absent any jitters. The image appears free of banding, aliasing, and other problems. This is another in a very long line of first-class Studio Ghibli titles on Blu-ray, both from Disney and, here, Universal.
When Marnie Was There features a pair of lossless soundtracks, offering Japanese and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 tracks. Yes, both are without the usual LFE support channel, but neither track lacks the sonic weight and depth it would otherwise help to provide. Heavier effects, like crashing thunder and punishing waves, manage to pack a fair bit of natural heft in the track's most demanding moments, chapter fifteen serving as the single finest example of the track's range of abilities. Clarity is exceptional and the track plays with a wide open feel. There's a pleasant transparency to the track, essentially removing the speakers and allowing every sound detail to flow with a naturally lifelike posture through which the audience is effortlessly transported into the world's sonic environment. Ambient effects are many and gently immersive. Musical definition is full and precise with a wide stage that includes a lightly critical surround support. Dialogue is firmly centered and crystal clear with a nice bit of natural reverberation in chapter fifteen. Both the English and Japanese tracks are very well done and not noticeably unique or varied beyond language. Note that listeners cannot switch between the English and Japanese tracks on-the-fly. To change the audio, one must select the track from the menu, which forces a restart of the movie. However, listeners are free to switch to the French track at will regardless of whether Japanese or English is selected.
When Marnie Was There contains several extras,including the entire film presented in storyboard format. A DVD copy
of the film is included with purchase.
If When Marnie Was There is to be the final Studio Ghibli film, audiences couldn't ask for a better final farewell. The film is beautiful -- emotionally, visually, aurally -- and home to a satisfyingly deep yet approachable story of a person in search of answers, of who she is and what purpose she serves in life. It's a crowning achievement in dramatic storytelling and complex yet accessible character development blended with an inherently beautiful surface. Universal's Blu-ray release is equally impressive, boasting terrific video and audio alongside several worthwhile supplements. Highly recommended.
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