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Ruby Barnhill, Kate Winslet Star in English Dub of Studio Ponoc's Mary and the Witch's Flower Anime Film

posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins

GKIDS announced the main English dub cast on Wednesday for Studio Ponoc and Hiromasa Yonebayashi's Mary and The Witch's Flower (Mary to Majo no Hana) anime film.

The BFG's Ruby Barnhill stars in the dub as the titular character Mary, and Kate Winslet (Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Mountain Between Us) plays school chairwoman Madam Mumblechook. Jim Broadbent, who co-starred with Winslet in Iris, plays Mumblechook's colleague Doctor Dee. Other cast members without specified roles include Ewen Bremner, Lynda Baron, Rasmus Hardiker, Teresa Gallagher, Morwenna Banks, and Louis Ashbourne Serkis.

David Freedman and Lynda Freedman are writing the English-language adaptation, and Geoffrey Wexler is producing. Altitude Film Sales' Will Clarke is serving as executive producer.

GKIDS announced earlier this month that it has acquired the film. Oricon previously reported that the English dub of the film would feature "big-name actors." The film will open in 155 countries and territories worldwide.

U.K.-based company Altitude Film Sales announced in February that it has acquired the worldwide rights to the film. Altitude Film Entertainment will release the film in the U.K., and Madman Entertainment will release the film in Australia and New Zealand.

The film opened in Japan on July 8 and has earned 3 billion yen (US$28 million).

Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who directed Studio Ghibli's Arrietty and When Marnie Was There, directed Mary and The Witch's Flower, and also penned the script for the film alongside Riko Sakaguchi, who wrote the screenplay for Isao Takahata's The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. Takatsugu Muramatsu (When Marnie Was There) composed the music. Yoshiaki Nishimura is credited as producer. The staff page on the film's website further noted that many former staff from Studio Ghibli joined Ponoc in the film's production.

The film is based on Mary Stewart's book The Little Broomstick. Studio Ponoc scouted locations in Shropshire, U.K., the setting of the original novel. The Japanese version stars Hana Sugisaki (When Marnie Was There, live-action Blade of the Immortal) as Mary and Ryunosuke Kamiki (The Secret World of Arrietty's Sho, your name.'s Taki) as Peter.

Source: Variety (Robert Mitchell)


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