When Marnie Was There

Hiromasa Yonebayashi, the youngest director at Studio Ghibli at the time, helms this quiet adaptation of Joan G. Robinson's 1967 novel. The film follows Anna Sasaki, a withdrawn 12-year-old sent to the Kushiro countryside in Hokkaido to recover from asthma attacks. There she discovers a long-abandoned Western-style mansion and befriends Marnie, a spirited blonde girl who appears only at low tide. Sara Takatsuki voices Anna, Kasumi Arimura plays Marnie, and Nanako Matsushima portrays her foster mother Yoriko. The film earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature in 2016.

With a budget estimated at ¥1.15 billion (roughly $10 million), the hand-drawn production grossed $34.9 million worldwide. Takatsugu Muramatsu's piano-and-strings score complements the film's introspective mood. The marshland setting was meticulously researched by Ghibli's art team, who traveled to Hokkaido for authentic references. The English dub features Hailee Steinfeld as Anna and Kiernan Shipka as Marnie.[edit]

Anna Sasaki lives in Sapporo with her foster mother, Yoriko, but feels like an outsider. She suffers from asthma and keeps a diary, writing down her feelings of isolation. After a particularly severe attack, her doctor recommends fresh air, so Yoriko sends Anna to stay with relatives in the rural town of Kushiro, Hokkaido. The Oiwas, Kiyomasa and Setsu, are a kind elderly couple who run a small farm. Anna arrives resentful, but the quiet beauty of the countryside, the marshes, wildflowers, and open sky, gradually eases her tension.

Exploring the tidal marshlands near the Oiwa home, Anna spots an abandoned Western-style mansion known locally as the Marsh House. It stands empty and locked, yet Anna feels drawn to it. One afternoon, during low tide, she meets a girl her age named Marnie, who has blonde hair and blue eyes. Marnie is confident and playful, everything Anna is not. They quickly form a secret friendship, spending hours together rowing a boat on the marsh, exploring the mansion's rooms, and sharing secrets. Marnie speaks of her lonely life with distant, wealthy parents and a strict nanny.

Anna soon realizes that no one else can see Marnie. The mansion is always locked, and locals say it has been deserted for decades. Anna becomes obsessed with the mystery: is Marnie a ghost, a figment of her imagination, or something else? Her health improves, but her emotional turmoil deepens. She meets a local girl named Sayaka, who initially seems friendly but later makes Anna feel jealous when Sayaka also appears to know Marnie. At a summer festival, Anna feels abandoned by Marnie and spirals into despair.

As the summer progresses, Anna learns more about the Marsh House's history from an elderly woman who gives her a photograph of two girls. The clues point to a connection between Marnie and Anna's own past. Anna must decide whether to confront the truth or remain in her fantasy. The story builds toward a stormy night when Anna rushes to the Marsh House, determined to uncover the secret of Marnie's identity.[edit]