Studio Ghibli has entered the realm of CGI-animation with its trailer for Earwig and the Witch. Directed by Gorô Miyazaki (Tales from Earthsea, From Up on Poppy Hill), Earwig tells the fanciful tale of an orphan girl named Earwig, who is adopted by a witch and comes home to a spooky house filled with mystery and magic. While the 3-D presentation is likely to throw fans of Studio Ghibli's robust library of hand-drawn features, Earwig and the Witch possesses its own brand of wonder and imagination gone wild.
The film is based on the 2011 children's novel of the same name by late author Diana Wynne Jones, who also provided the source novel for Studio Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle back in 2004.
Like many of Studio Ghibli's films, Earwig and the Witch is a coming-of-age story that finds its central character on the verge of magical discovery. You see, Earwig has no idea that her adoptive mother is indeed a witch, and that her crooked house is actually haunted and full of endless possibilities. Oh, and let's not forget that there's a talking cat, which automatically makes this a must-see.
The English dub voice cast features Oscar-nominated actor Richard E. Grant as the Mandrake, Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves as Earwig’s mother Bella Yaga, Dan Stevens as Thomas the taking cat alongside Taylor Paige Henderson as Earwig, Pandora Colin as Matron, Alex Cartañá as Assistant Matron, JB Blanc as Mr. Jenkins, Logan Hannan as Custard, Summer Jenkins as Phyllis, Vivienne Rutherford as Sally, Tom Bromhead as Cook, Eva Kaminsky as Assistant Cook, and Vanessa Marshall as Bella Yaga.
Earwig and the Witch will premiere in Japan on December 30, 2020, on NHK before GKIDS releases the film for North American audiences sometime thereafter.