is a 2020
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
computer-animated fantasy film directed by
Gorō Miyazaki
is a Japanese director. He is the son of animator and film director Hayao Miyazaki, who is one of the co-founders of Studio Ghibli. Described as "reluctant" to follow his father's career, Goro initially worked as a landscaper for many years befo ...
and with a screenplay by Keiko Niwa and Emi Gunji. It is based on the novel of the same name by
Diana Wynne Jones
Diana Wynne Jones (16 August 1934 – 26 March 2011) was a British novelist, poet, academic, literary critic, and short story writer. She principally wrote fantasy and speculative fiction novels for children and young adults. Although usually d ...
. The original voice cast includes
Shinobu Terajima
is a Japanese actress. Her feature films include '' Akame 48 Waterfalls'' (2003) and '' Vibrator'' (2003). For her role in ''Caterpillar'' (2010), Terajima won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 60th Berlin Film Festival while her performan ...
,
Etsushi Toyokawa
is a Japanese actor.
Biography
Born in Yao, Osaka, he studied at Shimizudani High School
is a prestigious Japanese public co-educational senior high school (secondary school), located in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan.
Overview
Shimizudan ...
,
Gaku Hamada
is a Japanese film and television actor. He was a regular cast member of Fuji TV's '' Operation Love'', appearing in all 11 episodes broadcast in 2007 and the 2008 special, and receiving an award for his role. He has made numerous other TV appe ...
, and Kokoro Hirasawa.
A co-production between
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and h ...
,
NHK
, also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.
NHK operates two terrestr ...
, and
NHK Enterprises
, also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.
NHK operates two terrestria ...
, ''Earwig and the Witch'' had its world premiere on October 18, 2020, at the
Lumière Film Festival
The Lumière Film Festival is an annual film festival held each October in Lyon Metropolis, France, since 2009. The festival is named in honor of the Lumière Brothers, who invented the Cinematography in Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan language, O ...
, before premiering in Japan on television on December 30, 2020, on
NHK General TV; it was later released in theatres in Japan by
Toho
is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer ...
on August 27, 2021.
Plot
In 1990s England, a witch leaves her child, Earwig, at St. Morwald's Home for Children. The matron head of the home thinks that the name is unfit for a child and changes it to Erica Wigg. Years later, Earwig is a rambunctious 10-year-old who is very comfortable in an orphanage where everyone does what she wants. She likes living there with her friend Custard and does not want to get adopted.
One day, a strange couple, Bella Yaga and Mandrake, adopt Earwig against her wishes. When they get home, Bella Yaga tells Earwig that she is a witch, and that she only adopted Earwig for "an extra pair of hands" to help around the house. Earwig agrees to help, only if Bella Yaga teaches her magic in return. Earwig prepares ingredients for spells and cleans the workroom. Tired of working, she attempts to get out of the house, only to find that all the exits have been magically sealed by Mandrake. She becomes further frustrated because Bella Yaga never teaches her any magic.
Earwig begins to listen to tapes from an old band called Earwig and discovers that Bella Yaga's cat familiar Thomas can talk. The two of them enter the workroom at night to create a spell that will make them resistant to magic, becoming immune to Bella Yaga's punishments. They also work on a spell to give Bella Yaga a literal "extra pair of hands" on her body so Earwig would be dismissed from her work.
The spell is a success and Bella Yaga is furious at her extra pair of hands, and casts magical worms that appear in Earwig's room. Because of Earwig's magical resistance, the worms are harmless; Earwig sends the worms through a hole in the wall, but that angers Mandrake. In the ensuing chaos, Earwig breaks into Mandrake's room and discovers he and Bella Yaga were members of the band.
Through her new power, Earwig is able to take over the house and have the others do what she wants. She even manages to invite her friend Custard over for Christmas. When he arrives, Earwig's mother, another member of the band, drops in for a surprise visit.
Cast
Production
Directed by
Gorō Miyazaki
is a Japanese director. He is the son of animator and film director Hayao Miyazaki, who is one of the co-founders of Studio Ghibli. Described as "reluctant" to follow his father's career, Goro initially worked as a landscaper for many years befo ...
, the film was announced as the first full 3D CG animated film by
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and h ...
and was scheduled for a television premiere on
NHK
, also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.
NHK operates two terrestr ...
in late 2020. On June 19, 2020, images from the film were revealed by Miyazaki.
Gorō said that
his father told him to go with it and
Toshio Suzuki encouraged him, but after that he was left on his own and made the anime with young staff and "didn't consult with the old guys at all." He also said that he is the only one at the studio who knows the method of creating CG animation.
Satoshi Takebe
is a Japanese musician keyboard player, arranger, and producer from Tokyo.
He is the composer, keyboardist, arranger and musical producer for artists such as Yo Hitoto, Miki Imai, Tomomi Kahara, JUJU, Yuzu and Ken Hirai
is a Japanese ...
composed the music for the film. The theme song, "Don't Disturb Me", and ending theme, , are performed by a specially-formed band composed of
Sherina Munaf
Sinna Sherina Munaf or better known as Sherina Munaf (born in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia on June 11, 1990) is an Indonesian actress, singer and songwriter of Minangkabau descent. She is the niece of Indonesian singer-songwriter, Fariz RM.
...
on vocals, Hiroki Kamemoto of
Glim Spanky
is a Japanese rock band from Nagano Prefecture, consisting of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Remi Matsuo and lead guitarist Hiroki Kamemoto. Originally formed in 2007 as a quartet, the group became a duo in February 2010.
Their name comes from ...
on guitar, Kiyokazu Takano of
Mrs. Green Apple on bass,
Kavka Shishido on drums, and Takebe on keyboards. The film's original soundtrack album was released on January 6, 2021. The album ''Earwig and the Witch Songbook: 13 Lime Avenue'', which is credited to the film's fictional band "Earwig", was released on January 26, 2022. In addition to the above musicians (sans Takano), the album also features Glim Spanky vocalist Remi Matsuo and
Yoasobi
Yoasobi (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese music superduo formed by Sony Music Entertainment Japan, composed of Vocaloid producer :ja:Ayase, Ayase, and singer-songwriter :ja:幾田りら, Ikura. Represented by the slogan "novel into music", th ...
support musician Hikaru Yamamoto.
Release
World premiere
The film was scheduled to premiere at the
2020 Cannes Film Festival
The 73rd annual Cannes Film Festival was scheduled to take place from 12 to 23 May 2020. On 13 January 2020, Spike Lee was named as the president of the Jury. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France, festival management announced on 14 A ...
before the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It instead premiered at the
Lumière Film Festival
The Lumière Film Festival is an annual film festival held each October in Lyon Metropolis, France, since 2009. The festival is named in honor of the Lumière Brothers, who invented the Cinematography in Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan language, O ...
in
Lyon Metropolis
The Metropolis of Lyon (french: Métropole de Lyon), also known as ("Greater Lyon"), is a French territorial collectivity located in the east-central region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is a directly elected metropolitan authority encompassing t ...
, on October 18, 2020.
Japan
In November 2020, the cast and crew information, along with its plot details and broadcast date were announced. It aired on
NHK General TV on December 30, 2020.
On February 11, 2021,
Toho
is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer ...
announced that the film was slated to be released theatrically in Japan on April 29, 2021. This version includes some scenes not shown on the TV broadcast version (but already included in releases of the film outside Japan).
On April 23, 2021, the film was removed from the release calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was later announced that the new release date would be on August 27, 2021.
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc by
Pony Canyon
, also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affi ...
on December 1, 2021, making it the first Studio Ghibli movie since the original VHS release of ''
Whisper of the Heart
is a 1995 Japanese Anime, animated romantic drama film directed by Yoshifumi Kondō and written by Hayao Miyazaki based on the #Background, 1989 manga of the same name by Aoi Hiiragi. It was animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon T ...
'' not to have
Walt Disney Japan as home video distributor. However, Walt Disney Japan released the film (under license from Pony Canyon) as part of a box set on the same day which contains the non–Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata Studio Ghibli feature films.
United States
On July 7, 2020, Studio Ghibli's North American distributor
GKIDS
GKIDS is an American film distributor based in New York with, according to the ''Los Angeles Times'', a focus on "sophisticated, indie" animation. GKIDS releases critically acclaimed, mostly hand-drawn, international films—such as the works o ...
announced they had acquired the North American distribution rights to the film and that the film would be set for a theatrical release date of early 2021 in North America.
On January 7, 2021, GKIDS announced that the film would receive a limited theatrical release beginning on February 3, while it would be added to
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
on February 5. The film was released digitally on March 23, 2021, and on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on April 6, 2021. The GKIDS release of the film is the same as the Japanese theatrical version.
International
As with Ghibli's other features,
Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang, or the Oklahombres, were a gang of American outlaws based in the Indian Territory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were active in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Terr ...
handles the international sales of the film.
On September 11, 2020, Wild Bunch confirmed they had purchased the distribution rights to Studio Ghibli's films in France from previous distributor
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
, and that they would handle distribution of the film both theatrically and on home media in the country.
On December 3, 2020, it was announced that Elysian Film Group had acquired the British and Irish distribution rights to the film, becoming the company's very first film acquisition after it was founded in February that year. This will make it the first theatrical release of a Ghibli film since ''
Princess Mononoke
is a 1997 Japanese animated epic historical fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network and Dentsu. The film stars the voices of Yōji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida ...
'' not to be distributed by
StudioCanal UK
StudioCanal Limited, operating as StudioCanal (formerly Optimum Releasing), is the official branch of StudioCanal in the British Isles. The company releases many films, including foreign, anime (mostly Studio Ghibli), independent, art, Britis ...
in the region. Elysian released the film in cinemas on May 28, 2021, on over 100 screens and only dubbed into English, and later released it on DVD and Blu-ray Disc (including the Japanese audio and English subtitles as well as the English dub) on September 27, 2021.
On October 13, 2021, it was announced that
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
had acquired the worldwide streaming rights to the film, except Japan and United States. It was released on the service on November 18, 2021.
Reception
On
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, 29% of 68 critic reviews are positive for ''Earwig and the Witch'', and the average rating is . The critics consensus on the website is: "With a story as uninspired as its animation, ''Earwig and the Witch'' is a surprising—and near-total—misfire for Studio Ghibli." According to
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, which calculated a weighted average score of 46 out of 100 based on 21 reviews, the film received "mixed or average reviews".
Writing for ''
IndieWire
IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...
'', David Ehrlich gave the film a C− and said, "While ''Earwig and the Witch'' is far from the ugliest film of its kind, there's something uniquely perverse about seeing Ghibli's signature aesthetic suffocated inside a plastic coffin and sapped of its brilliant soul; about seeing the studio's lush green worlds replaced by lifeless backdrops, and its hyper-expressive character designs swapped out for cheap dolls so devoid of human emotion that even the little kids look Botoxed with an inch of their lives. This is the cartoon equivalent of that
botched Jesus fresco, only lacking the human touch that gave that debacle some perverse charm of its own."
''
Vox''s Aja Romano gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and said, "There are some moments early on when there are still shots of nature, or slow Ghibli-esque pans across landscapes. But these isolated shots don't connect to a larger overall mood, characterization, or thematic idea. They feel like pale imitations from a director who knows ''what'' Ghibli films do, but not ''why''… And even the highly striking animation aesthetic for which Ghibli is renowned feels largely absent, due to the muted, flat palette of the film's CGI… Ultimately, ''Earwig and the Witch'' is a far cry from Studio Ghibli at its finest."
As of August 2021, ''Earwig and the Witch'' grossed $173,704 at the North American box office and $552,333 from other territories, with a worldwide total of $726,037.
[
]
References
External links
* (in Japanese)
* at GKIDS
GKIDS is an American film distributor based in New York with, according to the ''Los Angeles Times'', a focus on "sophisticated, indie" animation. GKIDS releases critically acclaimed, mostly hand-drawn, international films—such as the works o ...
* at Madman Films
* at Elysian Film Group
*
*
{{Studio Ghibli Films
2020 computer-animated films
2020 films
2020 television films
2020s children's animated films
Animated films about cats
Animated films about orphans
Animated films set in the United Kingdom
Anime postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Anime television films
Comedy television films
Fantasy television films
Films about adoption
Films about witchcraft
Films directed by Gorō Miyazaki
Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Films set in orphanages
Films set in the 1990s
Japanese animated fantasy films
Japanese children's fantasy films
Japanese computer-animated films
Japanese fantasy comedy films
Japanese rock music films
Japanese television films
Studio Ghibli animated films
Television films based on books
Toho films
Witchcraft in anime and manga
Witchcraft in television