Earwig and the Witch

Daikun · Jan 8, 2021

Studio Ghibli's first CGI feature, Earwig and the Witch, will be theatrically released on February 3, then will join HBO Max two days later.

Growing up in an orphanage in the British countryside, Earwig has no idea that her mother had magical powers. Her life changes dramatically when a strange couple takes her in, and she is forced to live with a selfish witch. As the headstrong young girl sets out to uncover the secrets of her new guardians, she discovers a world of spells and potions, and a mysterious song that may be the key to finding the family she has always wanted.

Studio Ghibli’s ‘Earwig and the Witch’ Gets Theatrical, HBO Max Release Dates

GKIDS announced the theatrical and HBO Max release dates for Studio Ghibli's 'Earwig and the Witch.'

www.hollywoodreporter.com

SweetShop209 · Jan 25, 2021

The movie comes out March 23 on digital and April 6 on DVD.

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www.animationmagazine.net

AdrenalineRush1996 · Feb 2, 2021

The film is set for a spring release in the UK.

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Classic Speedy · Feb 8, 2021

Haven't watched it yet but I saw the trailer. It's interesting how they kept the same Ghibli "look" even in CG.

khuddle · May 4, 2021

I saw it over the weekend. Again, not nearly as bad as the masses would lead you to believe. Its no classic however:

Pros:
+ the lead character, Earwig, is pretty adorable.
+ the story has a nice reveal towards the end.
+ the movie is mercifully short ( a HUGE plus, in my book), about 70 mins if you exclude the intro and end credits.

Cons:
- Studio Ghibli should be embarrassed at releasing something this poorly animated in 2021.
Have they not seen Toy Story 4? The Croods: New Age? The bar has been raised by a considerable amount.
This movie looks like it was made in 2010, and that's being generous. Agree with the folks who say Studio Ghibli would have been better off sticking to conventional animation for this one, which they excel at.

But all in all, not bad. The animation looks very dated, but it is watchable. The story is pretty straightforward, but there's a nice reveal towards the end. And Earwig is a charming little tot.
6.5 out of 10.

Classic Speedy · May 9, 2021

I didn't hate it but this was pretty underwhelming.

First of all, one of the things Studio Ghibli is known for is imagination. I didn't get this same feel here. Most of the movie is stuck in the house, which was a bland-looking house at that. About the only part that really stood out was towards the end when Mandrake goes nuts.

Another problem: Earwig doesn't go through character development or maturing in the story, which was one of the hallmarks of movies like Spirited Away. And there was something strangely flat and distant about the character in general. Here's this orphan who is ripped from her friends at the children's home, is adopted by a cruel woman and is basically treated like a slave, and is not able to leave the house- you'd think there would be at least one scene where she emoted/cried and felt trapped by her predicament. But no, she mostly treats the situation as a mild annoyance.

There was a lot that I felt was unexplained or not explained very well, like the history of the band, what exactly Earwig's mother was doing while she's away (and who were those people chasing her in the intro?), what Bella's motivation is, etc. I blame the short running time.

Cute as he was, Thomas was basically the same as Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service: He's a black cat and talks.

An expectation problem: The poster/trailer makes it seem like there will be more of an emphasis on the band, but that's not the focus of the majority of the movie at all. Most of it comes towards the end.

Stuff I did like? I didn't mind the animation style- it's definitely not up to the level of U.S. CG feature film animation but as I said earlier, I like how it took the familiar Ghibli art style into CG. The rock music was a lot of fun, a bit different from a lot of Ghibli films which are more orchestral. The part in the beginning where all the kids were dressed as ghosts and running around the yard made me smile. The English dub was fine, no complaints about the casting or performances.

Overall, not one of Ghibli's better efforts. Goro's best was still From Up On Poppy Hill.

khuddle · May 9, 2021

Classic Speedy said:
Goro's best was still From Up On Poppy Hill.

Agree with you there.

My favorite Ghibli films remain The Wind Rises, The Secret World of Arriety and Porco Rosso.

AdrenalineRush1996 · Nov 2, 2021

The film will become available on Netflix later this month.