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Chris Eberle
Anna is a young girl living in Sapporo. She is a foster child whose parents and grandmother have all passed away. Feeling abandoned, her guardian takes her to live in the country one summer in hopes of improving her mood and her health. Anna quickly discovers a mysterious mansion next to a marsh and sets out to investigate. While there she meets a new friend named Marnie. The two girls become close friends immediately but Anna has a few unusual experiences that make her question what is real and what isn’t. In the end, she discovers some unexpected things about her past and learns who really cares for her.
2014, Color, Rated PG, 1 Hr 43 mins
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0, 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Kiernan Shipka, John C. Reilly
Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Rating
Violence: No
Sex: No
Language: No
This film is beautifully executed in every way. The story is both uplifting and haunting as it takes an intimate look at love and family. Artistically there is no doubt you’re watching Japanese animation but it takes on a distinct look that is unlike anything else I’ve watched from the genre. Characters are drawn in a familiar style against a lush background of impressionistic landscapes that sometimes pop with texture.
Voice acting is also top-notch with an A-list cast that includes Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men), Geena Davis, Kathy Bates and John C. Reilly. All are perfectly suited to their roles as if the film were written with them in mind. Based on a young-adult novel, some might assume the movie is only aimed at children but the themes presented will touch people of any age. This is definitely a Blu-ray you can sit down and watch with everyone in your family. Highly Recommended.
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The image is rich, deep and saturated with natural and beautiful colors. Contrast is also broad with most material focused on the brighter side. There was no evidence of banding or edge enhancement and I’d call this a reference-level transfer. Detail in even the most complex artwork was sharp and clear.
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For me, most movies fall a little short in their use of ambient sound effects, even the ones with five-star soundtracks. This film however takes environmental audio to a whole new level. Sharp-eyed readers will note that there is no discrete LFE track here. You won’t miss it one bit. A thunderstorm late in the move had plenty of impact and the rain effect surrounded me as good as any Dolby Atmos demo I’ve heard. Movie sound doesn’t get better than this.
Bonus features include a 42-minute making-of featurette, the entire film presented in storyboard format, audio-only interviews with the English-speaking cast members, behind-the-scenes with artist Yohei Taneda and a series of previews and trailers.