'When Marnie Was There' Japanese Trailer: Friendship Transcends Boundaries

The first trailer for the new Studio Ghibli movie When Marnie Was There was barely a trailer at all. Rather, it was more of a music video for the film's primary song, by Priscilla Ahn. Now we've got a proper look at the film, in HD, via the When Marnie Was There Japanese trailer. This sets up a great deal of the story of a young girl who makes her first true friend. The only complication is that Marnie has her own unique situation.

At least, we think the trailer sets up that story. None of the dialogue is in English, so we have to rely upon an understanding of the source novel, and the exemplary visual storytelling in the footage. Being a Ghibli film — in this case, one directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi (The Secret World of Arrietty) — the animation and storytelling look to be wonderfully refined and elegant. Check out the trailer below.

Trailer via Toho.

When Marnie Was There is based on the book of the same name by Joan G. Robinson. Here's the book summary:

Anna hasn't a friend in the world – until she meets Marnie among the sand dunes. But Marnie isn't all she seems...An atmospheric ghost story with truths to tell about friendship, families and loneliness. Anna lives with foster parents, a misfit with no friends, always on the outside of things. Then she is sent to Norfolk to stay with old Mr and Mrs Pegg, where she runs wild on the sand dunes and around the water. There is a house, the Marsh House, which she feels she recognises – and she soon meets a strange little girl called Marnie, who becomes Anna's first ever friend. Then one day, Marnie vanishes. A new family, the Lindsays, move into the Marsh House. Having learnt so much from Marnie about friendship, Anna makes firm friends with the Lindsays – and learns some strange truths about Marnie, who was not all she seemed...