The scene where adult Ariel runs after Maquia’s carriage saying “I’m sorry” — and she smiles and waves and mouths “I know” — is the most beautiful and painful thing I have ever seen in animation.
When the invading kingdom of Mezarte — desperate for the Iorph’s bloodline to revive their dying dragons — attacks her homeland, Maquia escapes into the wilderness. There, she discovers a lone human infant, wrapped in the arms of a dead mother. Though Maquia herself is still a child in spirit, she makes an impossible choice: “I will be his mother.” maquia letterboxd
Yes (3rd time)
Sunday, March 12 — 10:34 PM
If you have ever loved someone who grew up and away from you — child, parent, or friend — this film will find the crack in your heart and pour itself inside. The scene where adult Ariel runs after Maquia’s
★★★★½ Favorite line: “You don’t have to be good at being a mother. You just have to be there.” ⚠️ Content warnings: Death of a parent (on-screen), childbirth, war violence (bloodless but intense), emotional abandonment, themes of child mortality (by aging, not violence). Would you like a shorter version (e.g., for a quick Letterboxd review text box) or a spoiler-free recommendation blurb? Though Maquia herself is still a child in