X
- 2021
- PG
- Fathom Events
- 1 h 22 m
- 2021
- PG
- Fathom Events
- 1 h 22 m
Summary 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 ...
Directed By: Gorô Miyazaki
Written By: Diana Wynne Jones, Keiko Niwa, Emi Gunji, Hayao Miyazaki
- 2021
- PG
- Fathom Events
- 1 h 22 m
- 2021
- PG
- Fathom Events
- 1 h 22 m
Earwig and the Witch
46
4.5
Where to Watch
Summary 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 ...
Directed By: Gorô Miyazaki
Written By: Diana Wynne Jones, Keiko Niwa, Emi Gunji, Hayao Miyazaki
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
46
10% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
90% Mixed
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
46
10% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
90% Mixed
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Doing his part to keep his father’s work alive and relevant, Gorō Miyazaki steers the Ghibli ship even further away than Yonebayashi dared, resulting in the studio’s most cheerily radical film to date.
The way Earwig (which was actually made for Japanese TV) sacrifices Ghibli’s visual USP is less of a problem than the way it surrenders the studio’s accustomed emotional beats.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 42 User Ratings
4.5
26% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
31% Mixed
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
43% Negative
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 42 User Ratings
4.5
26% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
31% Mixed
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
43% Negative
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
Report
I really enjoyed this film. I love the main character, I love how cunning she is and how her cunning isn't in an entirly innocent kinda way you might expect. All the characters are really good especially the Mandrake. I actally liked how the film looked too, it worked for this film and I don't think the Mandrake would have been as intimidating in 2D with how the special effects are. I did have to mark the film down a point because of the ending which is too abrupt. I want this review to be spoiler free so I won't explain why it's a disapointment. It's such a shame because it's otherwise a fantastic film and would of even been one of my favourite Ghibli films had it not been for this big issue. I did still really enjoy the film despite that though.
Report
It will entertain kids and adults alike with humor and magic before it fades away later that day.
The problem with Earwig and the Witch has more to do with its confused plotting than its more or less serviceable animation.
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.
Earwig and the Witch has all the parts needed to be a fun and memorable film, but seems to lack the manual for how to bring it all together.
Something’s clearly missing, and the most obvious answer is magic, both on-screen and in the project’s conception.
Saw this movie tonight with my girlfriend. Myself, a longtime Ghibli fan, her, only seen one or two, not the biggest fan.
We both thoroughly enjoyed Earwig and the Witch!
The story is not some sweeping adventure like Howl's Moving Castle or Spirited Away, it's a small and focused story about a girl's life, the relationships she builds, and how she builds them.
It doesn't get into too many specifics in the story or the characters, but I'd argue it didn't need to. They show you what they need to and let you fill in the small gaps with your imagination. It has a level of childlike whimsy to the flow of the story, and I was just completely into that.
There were a couple surprise story reveals that as soon as they hit, I just LOVED.
For animation, it's 3D, but it looks much better than most regular 3D anime series. I really enjoyed some of the small touches and details. Goo looks gooey, faces deform when touched, wet hair looks like wet hair. I guess maybe the characters look a bit like 3D representations of an old school anime style (if that makes any sense, kinda like the newest Lupin III 2020 movie honestly).
The movie ends quite abruptly and leaves many questions unanswered. However this movie is not about a whole chunck of universe building, it is more one section of time in this girl's life. The girlfriend and I were eager to see more for sure, but it is what it is.
Definitely see myself purchasing this when I get the chance.
Report
Much has been made about the fact that this is the first non-"traditional" animated feature from Studio Ghibli, and it is definitely missing some of the small details and unexpected moments that really make a Ghibli movie special. Weirdly, there are moments that are beautifully realized. There are specific animations that are pretty spectacular. But surrounded by a lot of stuff that isn't all that great. For the movie itself, I liked it well enough for about 90% of the short run time but then it just... ends? It wraps up so quickly and with no real build-up to the resolution that I was left thinking... what just happened? It's an interesting first effort, probably could've used another 6months in the oven because as it is it just feels underbaked.
Report
Production Company
NHK,
NHK Enterprises,
Studio Ghibli
Release Date Feb 3, 2021
Duration 1 h 22 m
Rating PG
Tagline I won't live under anyone's thumb.
Awards
Annie Awards
• 2 Nominations
