When Marnie Was There
思い出のマーニー
When Marnie Was There
思い出のマーニー
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Watch-outs
What this film brings
Content barometer
Violence
1/5
Mild
Fear
2/5
A few scenes
Sexuality
0/5
None
Language
0/5
None
Narrative complexity
3/5
Complex
Adult themes
0/5
None
Expert review
This animated film has a gentle, mysterious atmosphere with a strong melancholic tone, focusing on loneliness, grief, and a young girl's longing to belong. The sensitive material is mostly emotional rather than graphic, including feelings of abandonment, moderate fear linked to an old isolated mansion, a storm, a distressing confinement scene, and clear references to emotional mistreatment of a child. The intensity stays moderate and there is no graphic violence, yet the emotional weight is significant and returns often through conversations, memories, and nighttime scenes of isolation, which may affect younger or more sensitive viewers. I would place the minimum recommended age around 9 for content, although many children may only be truly engaged a bit later because of the quiet pacing and reflective storytelling. For family viewing, it helps to reassure children that the strange atmosphere is mainly a way to explore sadness, friendship, and trust, then talk afterward about adoption, feeling loved, and fear of being left behind.
Synopsis
Upon being sent to live with relatives in the countryside due to an illness, an emotionally distant adolescent girl becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and infatuated with a girl who lives there - a girl who may or may not be real.
Difficult scenes
Anna repeatedly crosses the marsh to reach a large mansion that seems empty, often at night and in near silence. These scenes are not horror scenes, but the isolation, the strange setting, and the sense that someone may be inside can unsettle a young or sensitive child. Marnie tells Anna that she is often left alone and treated cruelly by the adults who care for her when her parents are away. There are also threats connected to an old silo, creating fear of confinement and a strong emotional discomfort around a child's vulnerability. In one important sequence, Anna and Marnie end up in the silo while a storm breaks and the tension rises sharply. The visuals remain restrained, but the darkness, the sound of the wind, the trapped feeling, and the fact that Anna is later left alone can be upsetting. The film includes several revelations about loss, felt abandonment, orphanhood, and the fear of not being loved for who you are. Nothing is shown graphically, but these themes are central and may prompt deep questions in adopted children, anxious viewers, or very empathetic kids.
Where to watch
No verified platform for the US market yet. We keep this section updated as availability changes.
Availability checked on Apr 01, 2026
About this title
- Format
- Feature film
- Year
- 2014
- Runtime
- 1h 44m
- Countries
- Japan
- Original language
- JA
- Directed by
- Hiromasa Yonebayashi
- Main cast
- Sara Takatsuki, Kasumi Arimura, Nanako Matsushima, Susumu Terajima, Toshie Negishi, Ryoko Moriyama, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Hitomi Kuroki, Hiroyuki Morisaki, Takuma Otoo
- Studios
- Studio Ghibli, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, KDDI, Nippon Television Network Corporation, TOHO, dentsu, The Walt Disney Company (Japan), Mitsubishi
Content barometer
Violence
1/5
Mild
Fear
2/5
A few scenes
Sexuality
0/5
None
Language
0/5
None
Narrative complexity
3/5
Complex
Adult themes
0/5
None
Expert review
This animated film has a gentle, mysterious atmosphere with a strong melancholic tone, focusing on loneliness, grief, and a young girl's longing to belong. The sensitive material is mostly emotional rather than graphic, including feelings of abandonment, moderate fear linked to an old isolated mansion, a storm, a distressing confinement scene, and clear references to emotional mistreatment of a child. The intensity stays moderate and there is no graphic violence, yet the emotional weight is significant and returns often through conversations, memories, and nighttime scenes of isolation, which may affect younger or more sensitive viewers. I would place the minimum recommended age around 9 for content, although many children may only be truly engaged a bit later because of the quiet pacing and reflective storytelling. For family viewing, it helps to reassure children that the strange atmosphere is mainly a way to explore sadness, friendship, and trust, then talk afterward about adoption, feeling loved, and fear of being left behind.
Synopsis
Upon being sent to live with relatives in the countryside due to an illness, an emotionally distant adolescent girl becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and infatuated with a girl who lives there - a girl who may or may not be real.
Difficult scenes
Anna repeatedly crosses the marsh to reach a large mansion that seems empty, often at night and in near silence. These scenes are not horror scenes, but the isolation, the strange setting, and the sense that someone may be inside can unsettle a young or sensitive child. Marnie tells Anna that she is often left alone and treated cruelly by the adults who care for her when her parents are away. There are also threats connected to an old silo, creating fear of confinement and a strong emotional discomfort around a child's vulnerability. In one important sequence, Anna and Marnie end up in the silo while a storm breaks and the tension rises sharply. The visuals remain restrained, but the darkness, the sound of the wind, the trapped feeling, and the fact that Anna is later left alone can be upsetting. The film includes several revelations about loss, felt abandonment, orphanhood, and the fear of not being loved for who you are. Nothing is shown graphically, but these themes are central and may prompt deep questions in adopted children, anxious viewers, or very empathetic kids.