Thanks to his live-action expertise in production design, I think we were able to create a mansion with real presence.” I asked him to draw the Marsh House as if it were another character who watches over Anna. The Marsh House is the result of his tremendous knowledge, scouting trips to Hokkaido, and combining elements of various buildings. He went on, “We had the participation of Yohei Taneda, who is a world-renowned production designer who typically works in live-action. Yet the hard work paid off, as I think we ended up with a film that feels different from any we’ve made.” “At Ghibli, we had never drawn beautiful yet cloudy skies, so it was difficult. I felt that this suits the mysterious tone of the film, and more than anything, the sky feels like Anna’s heart itself, which made this the perfect setting,” he continued. “The area is often shrouded in fog, and it’s always cloudy. I don’t think Miyazaki is a fan of it, though,” the director added with a chuckle. It creates more mystery that way, and I figured it would draw the viewer’s eye more. “It would be easier for the story if Marnie was also Japanese, but I decided to make her blond-haired and blue-eyed. The book is set in the marshes of England, but for the film, the story’s setting was moved to the eastern tip of Hokkaido, Japan. He added, “For all the Annas and Marnies who will come to the theaters to see this film, I hope to make a movie that feels like a soulmate - one who might sit next to them and just be by their side.” My hope is that viewers will be able to find their own Marnie in their lives”. “But through her interactions with Marnie and the other characters, her heart begins to heal, and by the end of the story, she’s enveloped in a great love. Of all Ghibli protagonists, she’s arguably the most introverted, with a low self-esteem, and deeply hurt,” director Hiromasa Yonebayashi told The Hollywood Reporter. “The protagonist, Anna, is an ordinary girl like you would find anywhere. When Marnie Was There follows Anna, an anguished 12-year-old who befriends Marnie, a girl who lives in a mysterious stone mansion. Robinson (which is on Miyazaki’s list of recommended books) and is made with the studio’s dreamy, hand-drawn animation style - making it hard to imagine that animation-branch voters won’t be giving this film a serious look. It’s based on a British novel of the same name by Joan G. Miyazaki, 74, has stated that Marnie would be the final feature-length film made by his respected studio. Like Kaguya, Marniewas created by Ghibli, the Japanese animation studio founded by the iconic Hayao Miyazaki, who won a 2003 Oscar in the animated-feature category for his film Spirited Away and who received an Honorary Oscar last year, a rare feat that in the animation world that has been reserved for the likes of Walt Disney.

When marnie was there studio ghibli