When Marnie Was There

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When Marnie Was There

PG

2015

1h 43m

Kids & Family

Drama

Fantasy

Mystery & Thriller

Anime

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

99 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A tomboy (Hailee Steinfeld) explores a long-abandoned villa and meets a mysterious blonde girl only she can see.

Critics Consensus

When Marnie Was There is still blessed with enough visual and narrative beauty to recommend, even if it isn't quite as magical as Studio Ghibli's greatest works.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

08/09/2016

4/5

The quasi-Sapphic intensity of Anna and Marnie's relationship - recalling Ghost World or a benign Heavenly Creatures - is poetically and sensitively handled.

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

06/12/2016

4/5

While Marnie lacks the densely mystical, immersive quality of Ghibli at its best, the film features characteristically exquisite hand-drawn animation and a sensitivity to the precarious, friable quality in an adolescent girl's self-worth.

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Leslie Felperin

Radio Times

06/09/2016

3/5

The painterly, old-school aesthetic brings an aptly nostalgic feel to this examination of how the past can haunt the present and the rapturous intensity of young friendship.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

04/26/2025

... a gentle, touching story of confronting turbulent emotions that acknowledges that, however unfair, such feelings are real and cause real damage.

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Michael J. Casey

Michael J. Cinema

09/15/2021

4/5

Does what Ghibli has always done, and done so well: Address the cruel twists and turns life can take.

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Allen Almachar

The MacGuffin

07/15/2020

B

It's amazing how [Studio Ghibli] can so easily tap into the wonder and awe of young people.

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Randy

06/22/2024

Cried so hard at the ending, non-stop

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Ante K

@RT35751260 Feb 4

When Marnie was There is a beautiful, wonderful, poetic movie that is not for everyone. It might seem pointless or slow and confusing to some people, but for the right people, this movie is understanding and hits close to home. It perfectly shows how depression can take hold to warp our views of ourselves and the people around us. To this day, it's my favorite Ghibli movie, even if it isn't their best work.

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Igor S

@Igor_Sena Jan 20

One of the most beautiful and touching movies i have seen in a long time...

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Kevin P

@RT55971421 Jan 14

A thoughtful gentle ghost story with an intriguing mystery and on a beautifully animated seaside setting. There are great themes about loneliness, depression, and social anxiety. Anna starts off sympathetic, but she quickly becomes unlikable and rude when she calls a slightly touchy neighbor "Leave me alone you fat pig", only to cry and have pity on herself the second they snap back. Thankfully, most of the movie focuses on the intriguing mystery and the cute friendship between Anna and Marnie. There seem to be some positive LGBT subtext between Anna and Marnie, but let's just say that the big twist about Marnie complicates this. Anna's foster Aunt and Uncle are very chill and likable, but also very enabling. Anna's reasons for being incredibly rude are told in a very melodramatic way. Her final confrontation with Marnie felt very rushed and awkward. Thankfully however, the rest of the movie ends on a much better note. I just wish that Anna's character arc was done better.

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Munchie A

@RT97616580 Sep 26

This movie made me cry and movies never make me cry.

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Noe G

@RT06896914 Jul 22

When Marnie was there it was an amazing fantastic, and my number one favorite studio, Ghibli film, along with Kiki’s delivery service And my rating for the movie is a 10/10

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Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Director

Hailee Steinfeld

Anna

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Synopsis

A tomboy (Hailee Steinfeld) explores a long-abandoned villa and meets a mysterious blonde girl only she can see.

Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Producer: Koji Hoshino, Yoshiaki Nishimura
Screenwriter: Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Keiko Niwa, Masashi Ando
Distributor: GKIDS
Production Co: Studio Ghibli
Rating: PG (Thematic Elements|Smoking)
Genre: Kids & Family, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery & Thriller, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): May 22, 2015, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jun 10, 2024
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 12, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $314.3K
Runtime: 1h 43m