Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli may be shuttering for good but not without delivering its final feature film "When Marnie Was There," which its new US trailer has been recently released by GKIDS Films. The film is based on Joan G. Robinson's children's novel with the same title (or Omoide no Marnie in Japanese) and has opened in Japan last July 2014. Now, the company will be launching its English dubbed version in American theaters next month.
Studio Ghibli's most notable director Hayao Miyazaki, retired recently after releasing "The Wind Rises," and the company currently has no other films in production as it is having a temporary halt. No future projects have been revealed and it is not known if they will return back. Miyazaki's legendary animation studio is known for heartrending movies that explore into various facets of humans and their environment, some of which are "Spirited Away," "Porco Russo," "My Neighbour Totoro," and among others.
Meanwhile, the trailer for "When Marnie Was There" is just over 90-seconds and leans into the melancholic tinge of the film. It is a story about a lonely girl, Anna Sasaki, whose foster parents send her to live with relatives in a rural, seaside town. There, she meets a mysterious blonde girl named Marnie in a mansion whom is apparently a ghost. The English version of the film was dubbed by a stellar cast including Hailee Steinfeld, Kiernan Shipka, John C. Reilly, Vanessa Williams, Grey Griffin, Ava Acres, Raini Roodriguez, and among others.
It must have been a prized project as the book is said to have a "special place" on Miyazaki's 50 Recommended Children's Books list. His Japanese animation house, Studio Ghibli, usually adapts animated movies based from children's stories and classic tales from the Japanese folk lore.
"When Marnie Was There" Japanese version is already on DVD in Japan and will be opened in limited US theaters starting May 22.
What are your prospects for the English version of the film? Will it be better than the Japanese counterpart considering it has a stellar cast led by Hailee Steinfeld? Will it be a hit to US anime lovers? Your comments are welcome below!
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