Every Studio Ghibli Movie Ranked From Worst To Best
13. When Marnie Was There
When Marnie Was There is a surprisingly conventional ghost story for a Studio Ghibli film, though it was directed by Arrietty director Hiromasa Yonebayashi with the same sort of visual beauty and pathos as the rest of the studio's output.
As usual, the impetus is heavily on emotional impact, but the ghost story element gives this a spirit that almost belongs more to Hitchcock than to Miyazaki and his fellows. It's a curious juxtaposition of story book visuals and this insistent excitement, but its anchored in so many Ghiblian conventions that it doesn't feel detached.
In truth, Marnie is probably Ghibli's most emo of films, taking the usual, vulnerable female protagonist and pushing her emotional turmoil to another level entirely (one that suits the ghost story element). And the result of that is one of the studio's most sombre offerings, devoid notably of the more gleeful magical element seen so virulently elsewhere.