Earwig and the Witch

Plot

In 1990s England, a witch leaves her child, Earwig, at St. Morwald's Home for Children, where the matron renames her Erica Wigg. Years later, Earwig is a rambunctious 10-year-old who enjoys life at the orphanage with her friend Custard and does not want to be adopted. One day, a strange couple, Bella Yaga and Mandrake, adopt Earwig against her wishes. Bella Yaga reveals she is a witch and only adopted Earwig for help around the house; Earwig agrees in exchange for magic lessons.

She prepares ingredients and cleans the workroom but grows frustrated when Bella Yaga never teaches her magic and Mandrake has sealed all exits. Earwig discovers tapes from a band called Earwig and learns that Bella Yaga's cat Thomas can talk. Together they create a spell granting resistance to magic, making Earwig immune to Bella Yaga's punishments, and another spell giving Bella Yaga an extra pair of hands so Earwig would be dismissed. The spell succeeds, and Bella Yaga casts magical worms that prove harmless due to Earwig's resistance.

Earwig sends the worms through a hole, angering Mandrake. In the chaos, she breaks into Mandrake's room and learns he and Bella Yaga were members of Earwig, whose singer was Earwig's mother. Using her new power, Earwig takes over the house and invites Custard for Christmas, where her mother makes a surprise visit.

Production

Gorō Miyazaki directed the film, which was announced as Studio Ghibli's first full 3D CG animated feature and scheduled for a television premiere on NHK in late 2020. Images from the film were revealed by Miyazaki on June 19, 2020. He stated that his father told him to proceed and Toshio Suzuki encouraged him, but after that he was left on his own and made the anime with young staff, not consulting the older staff. He also said he is the only one at the studio who knows the method of creating CG animation.

Satoshi Takebe composed the music. The theme song "Don't Disturb Me" and ending theme are performed by a specially-formed band including Sherina Munaf, Hiroki Kamemoto, Kiyokazu Takano, Kavka Shishido, and Takebe. The original soundtrack album was released on January 6, 2021, and the album Earwig and the Witch Songbook: 13 Lime Avenue, credited to the fictional band Earwig, was released on January 26, 2022, featuring additional musicians including Remi Matsuo and Hikaru Yamamoto. Glim Spanky, whose members contributed two songs, received the offer because Miyazaki is a fan of theirs.

Release

The film was scheduled to premiere at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival before the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It instead premiered at the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon Metropolis on October 18, 2020. Cast, crew, plot details, and broadcast date were announced in November 2020, and it aired on NHK General TV on December 30, 2020. Toho announced a theatrical release in Japan for April 29, 2021, which included scenes not shown in the TV broadcast but already in releases outside Japan.

On April 23, 2021, the film was removed from the release calendar due to the pandemic, and the new date was set for August 27, 2021. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc by Pony Canyon on December 1, 2021, the first Studio Ghibli movie since the original VHS release of Whisper of the Heart not to have Walt Disney Japan as home video distributor, though Walt Disney Japan released it under license as part of a box set. GKIDS acquired North American distribution rights on July 7, 2020, and announced a limited theatrical release beginning February 3, 2021, with an HBO Max debut on February 5.

The digital release was March 23, 2021, and Blu-ray and DVD on April 6, 2021. Wild Bunch handles international sales and confirmed on September 11, 2020, they had purchased French distribution rights from Disney.

Reception

By October 2021, the film had earned a certain amount in North America and other regions, with a global total that was reported. Domestically, according to a March 2022 industry publication, it made a specific figure. Critical reception was largely unfavorable. On Rotten Tomatoes, only 28% of 68 critics gave a positive review, and the site's consensus called it a surprising and near-total failure for Studio Ghibli.

Metacritic assigned a weighted score of 46 out of 100 from 21 reviews, indicating mixed or average opinions. David Ehrlich of IndieWire graded it a C-, saying the animation suffocated Ghibli's usual style and compared it to a poorly restored fresco. Aja Romano of Vox gave it 3 out of 5 stars, noting that occasional nature shots felt disconnected from any larger mood or theme, and that the CGI color palette was muted and flat. Romano concluded the film was far below Studio Ghibli's best work.