In this . Studio Ghibli's most recently released anime, Earwig and the Witch (or Aya and the Witch, as it's titled in Japanese) is different from the company's normal fare in a number of ways.It's an entirely 3-D CG anime, Ghibli's first ever, and was created free of the influence of the studios' older artists, whose aesthetic and . When I watched Earwig and the Witch, I didn't compare it to any of the other works from Ghibli and I was fairly surprised. The 3D animation looks off, flat and oddly shaded, it has a kind of "uncanny valley" look that I just couldn't get over. 2020 . It received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed $726,747 at the worldwide box office. Bella nearly gets in trouble with Mandrake and Erica quips that if she was actually taught things, this wouldn't have happened. Bella warns Erica of the Mandrake, that he must never be disturbed. "First look at Goro Miyazaki's Earwig and the Witch", Screen Daily. ""We'll take this one.""Huh? You know how much we wanted you to have a family, right? The theme song, "Don't Disturb Me", and ending theme, "Atashi no Sekai Seifuku" (, lit. The problem with Earwig and the Witch has more to do with its confused plotting than its more or less serviceable animation. The story is cute. The woman snatches Erica's bag and tosses it into Erica's new 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. I brought you into this house because I need another pair of hands . | NHK", "NHK has announced the premiere date for Studio Ghibli's new anime 'Aya and the Witch', "Goro Miyazaki Says He's Confident in Upcoming Earwig and the Witch CG Film", "GKIDS Announces Dub Cast for Ghibli's 1st CG Feature Earwig and the Witch", " ", "Ghibli, Goro Miyazaki Make CG Anime of Earwig and the Witch Novel by Howl's Moving Castle's Diana Wynne Jones", "New Studio Ghibli anime coming this winter is first CG feature planned by Hayao Miyazaki", "Studio Ghibli's CG-animated film revealed: 'Aya and the Witch', "First Look: Gor Miyazaki's 'Earwig And The Witch' (exclusive)", "CD", "! ""In exchange for teaching me how to do magic, I'll be your assistant. Austen lived her entire life as part of a small and close-knit family located on the lower fringes of English gentry. Heres where the design and animation of Earwig and the Witch becomes a real make-or-break point: its easy to admire Katsuya Kondos character designs and Yuhki Takeuchis art direction (especially his background art), but harder to find much emotional resonance from the movies stiff computer-generated animation, whose supervision is credited to Yukinori Nakamura (computer graphics) and Tan Se Ri (general animation). Erica is forced to hide the doll of Bella when she returns home. Dynamo Pictures, Marza Animation Planet, ModelingCafe, Toei Animation, Zinou Pharmaceutics, Inc. Satoshi Takebe, Sherina Munaf, Kiyomune Takano, Hiroki Kamemoto, Kavka Shishido. In his Deadline interview, in terms of his next project, Gor Miyazaki remains undecided. Please see "Aya and the Witch" for that. I sincerely hope that our Aya will encourage children and encourage adults.". Frankly, Earwig and the Witch looks ghastly enough that storytelling merit doesnt even matter. "GKids acquires Earwig and the Witch", Deadline. Inside the car, Erica finds a stereo and album called Earwig, so she takes it. Find Tickets. Completely different name " and part Coraline girl, Earwig and the Witch ' marks the studio ' first. It's disappointingly subpar", Australia and New Zealand official web page, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Earwig_and_the_Witch&oldid=1148140861, This page was last edited on 4 April 2023, at 09:43. As for a sequel, the producers havent made any official statement on the subject yet. I absolutely agree with that second love interest part. The film aired on NHK General Television from 7:30 - 8:52pm on December 30, 2020[1], and pre-released at the Lumire Festival, from October 10 to 18, 2020. TODAY: Danmachi IV Part 2, Spy Classroom, Revenger, and OniMai! Erica learns the next morning that she is the only one that uses the bathroom, so tapes a picture of Matron and Custard to her mirror. ", Using this technique makes it possible to describe very realistic characters and settings. Bella threatens her to mind her business and that if she doesn't she will be given worms. ""But I don't want one. All the characters are really good especially the Mandrake. Most obviously this doesn't look like a Ghibli film, it looks like your average low budget Saturday morning kids-channel animation. Erica settles for trying a spell where she gives Bella a literal set of extra hands. She gets whatever she wants, whenever she wants it - and has ever since she was placed on the orphanage's doorstep as a baby. 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. https://play.acast.com/s/ghibliotheque/earwigandthewitch-ghibliotheque-27, "Earwig and the Witch: How Studio Ghibli Made Its First CG Movie", Indiewire. Bella then notices her current recipe requires the help of a familiar and brings a black cat named Thomas over. Bella tosses rat bones to Erica to grind to a powder. By the way, when I thought that Aya looked like someone, it was Gor, the director of this work. Instead of drawing them one by one, we created them in pieces to reproduce the volume drawn by Katsuya Kond, their creator. While packing her things, she finds the cassette tape labeled "Earwig". [15], The theme song Don't Disturb Me and ending theme The World Is In My Hand ( , Atashi no Sekai Seifuku) is performed by renowned Indonesian singer and actress Sherina Munaf. Her life changes dramatically when a strange couple takes her in, and she is forced to live with a selfish witch. Erica notices in her room that the window is open for the first time. "It's alright. Erica learns that the Mandrake guards all the entrances and exits of the house, as well as controls all the demons. Bella teaches Erica how to make breakfast and Erica asks Bella where she sleeps at night. IT was released on January 6, 2021, by Studio Ghibli Records and sold for 2,750. Which is sadly not surprising since all three of Goros features are visually flat, including From Up On Poppy Hill, a project that was initially planned and scripted by papa Hayao. | All Rights Reserved. I had seen Goro Miyazaki's other works and, while impressed with his directing style, did not enjoy them. It appears Erica is the smartest one around and all the children look up to her for all kinds of help. The witch - 2624 subtitles results: The Witch: Part 2 - The Other One, The Witch, Earwig and the Witch.Movie and TV Subtitles in multiple languages, thousands of translated subtitles uploaded daily. 64 Read more Open Gift [28] 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 nonHayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata Studio Ghibli feature films. I don't like being disturbed""Mandrake, please! In the original film, Kokoro Hirasawa and Taylor Paige Henderson lend their voices to Earwig (ya) in the films Japanese and English versions respectively. Gor was thus able to take certain liberties with the text. Studio Ghibli legend also says what modern children are missing that kids had back in his day.. Last December, Earwig and the Witch, Studio Ghibli's first-ever CG anime, aired on Japanese public broadcaster NHK.On August 27, an enhanced version with additional footage will play in Japanese theaters, and ahead of its release Ghibli's legendary co-founder Hayao Miyazaki has given an . Gaku Hamada (Japanese) and Dan Stevens (English) lend their voices to Thomas, the familiar cat. The woman has magical capabilities, using a lock of her hair and turning it into worms to obscure the car's vision as she successfully gets away to St Morwald's Home for Children. I hate the 3d animation. At that time, (Hayao) Miya-san was already thinking about Kimi-tachi wa D Ikiru ka ( , How Do You Live?) A woman with thick, curly red hair is tailed by a yellow car with mechanical pinchers on the highway. The first sequence of the film where Erica's mother is racing away from a threat grabs your attention. She is frustrated with not understanding magic and is determined to get back at Bella for this. She takes this as a challenge. Years later the children of the home rush outside dressed as sheet ghosts. The Mandrake has another display of kindness and has his demons give Erica a full plate for dinner along with a book of his writing. Her hair ties are now even bows. Erica then enters the room Bella was previously in, finding a grand library far too large to logically belong to the little cottage house. [4] Satoshi Takebe composed the music for the film. "Ah, this is Erica Wigg. The spell Erica casted to protect her and Thomas worked, so the worms merely pile on the floor. The critics consensus on the website is: "With a story as uninspired as its animation, Earwig and the Witch is a surprisingand near-totalmisfire for Studio Ghibli. The end credits feature a montage of still illustrations done in traditional pencil and ink style, unlike the preceding 80 minutes of CG animation. If the sequel ever happens, all members of the main cast are likely to return. Come to think of it, I knew there was no future for the studio if we only made copies of the films of the past: well-made imitations, but copies nonetheless. And wondering which of the two projects to choose, says Toshio Suzuki. On September 11, 2020, Wild Bunch confirmed they had purchased the distribution rights to Studio Ghibli's films in France and Germany from previous distributor Disney, and that they would handle distribution of the film both theatrically and on home media in the country. All the main characters make an appearance, including the star of the show, 10-year-old orphan girl Aya/Erica.[10]. Most children would flee such a house in fear but not Earwig. [13][14][15] On June 19, 2020, images from the film were revealed by Miyazaki. All Erica needs to finish it is a lock of Bella's hair. I'm not going! goro miyazaki should get a restraining order so he can't come near ghibli's headquarters, I hate the 3d animation. Director Park Hoon-jung Writer Park Hoon-jung Stars Cynthia Min-soo Jo Kim Da-mi See production, box office & company info Watch on AMC+ It's clear that Erica has Matron under her thumb. Aya and the Witch was aired on NHK General Television on December 30, 2020. So, to get Bella's hair, Erica pulls a few strands from the red hat she usually wears. Most obviously this doesn't look like a Ghibli film, it looks like your average low budget Saturday morning kids-channel animation. Earwig agrees to help, only if Bella Yaga teaches her magic in return. Gor is the son of the Ghiblis co-founder Hayao Miyazaki. And the music is just pure awesome. DOWNLOAD OPTIONS . Likewise an adaptation, credited to Keiko Niwa and Emi Gunji, that adds its own frustrating tangle of loose ends to a Harry Potter-esque story that already felt like a bit of a muddle. Devoid of all the simple aesthetics, elegant touch & magical qualities that fans have come to expect from a Studio Ghibli presentation, Earwig and the Witch marks their first foray into 3D computer-generated feature filmmaking but the story in itself is so dull, bland & uninspiring that the film as a whole turns out to be the studio's first real misfire and is a disappointment on all fronts. They take Earwig to a mysterious house full of mysterious rooms, potions, and spell books. The liveliness and the spontaneity, we can only add through the music or the voiceovers, so when we have actors that come in and contribute, on the spot, with ad-libs and improvisation, that adds a whole new richness to the film., On June 19, 2020, images from the film were revealed by Miyazaki. The entire situation poses an unprecedented struggle for the protagonist. I haven't read the original material that this is based off of, but this movie has a style all it's own and gives it all it's got. Her peaceful and happy existence is suddenly interrupted when an unusual couple adopts her. It follows an orphan girl, Earwig, who is adopted by a witch and comes home to a spooky house filled with mystery and magic. Earwig and the Witch doesnt move the way it should, and thats lethal when your last name is Miyazaki. EARWIG AND THE WITCH 3 . So it's a recent book, but I learned that she started writing it a long time ago.". "To Preserve the Body from All Magic"? She is able to freely request food from Mandrake and helps him with his manuscripts. Simon Abrams is a native New Yorker and freelance film critic whose work has been featured inThe New York Times,Vanity Fair,TheVillage Voice,and elsewhere. When Custard does finally visit, the woman with red hair, Erica's mother arrives and greets Erica by her original name, Earwig. Erica is the only one that sees this. The singer previously uploaded a photo of herself alongside Studio Ghibli film producer Toshio Suzuki and celebrated animation director Hayao Miyazaki who was holding her 2013 album, Tuna.[16]. I was a huge fan of the first movie and was waiting soooo long for the sequel, but it just doesn't live up to the first one at all. 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. More or less serviceable animation Hamada ( Japanese ) and Dan Stevens ( English ) their... And ending theme, `` do n't Disturb Me '', Deadline sequence of the film that! Critics and grossed $ 726,747 at the worldwide box office your average low Saturday. Music for the film when i thought that Aya looked like someone, it was Gor, the havent! 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