First English 'Earwig and The Witch' Trailers Appear
GKIDS Films have an early Christmas present for Studio Ghibli fans. Shortly after revealing the cast of their upcoming dub of Goro Miyazaki's new film Earwig and The Witch, they have gifted us with the first English language trailers.
The film is an adaptation of a Children's book by late Welsh author Diana Wynne Jones- the original writer of Howl's Moving Castle. Most notably, its Ghibli's first CG animated film- although not their first foray into this medium full stop. Director Goro also helmed Ghibli co-produced TV series Ronja The Robber's Daughter, and his pops Hayao Miyazaki has also been working on a CG short for the Ghibli Museum. Earwig is destined for TV in Japan but has been upgraded to the cinema overseas. GKIDS will release the film in US cinemas in early 2021.
The animation may take some getting used to for purists, but it does a reasonably good job of approximating the classic Ghibli look in 3D. It has already caused controversy from many Ghibli fans merely by existing, but I actually found the animation looked a little better than I was anticipating.
Besides the animation though, this has a lot of the familiar elements of classic Ghibli- witches, talking feline familiars and a European setting. It's even got a vintage 2CV car from The Castle Of Cagliostro!
The dubbed trailer also gives us our first chance to hear the English voice actors including Richard E Grand, Kacey Musgraves and Dan Stevens, with newcomer Taylor Paige Henderson as Earwig herself. It also features the debut of the English-language version of the film's theme song Don't Disturb Me, performed by Grammy-winner Kacey Musgraves.
You can watch both the dubbed and original subtitled trailers below.
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 and potions, and a mysterious song that may be the key to finding the family she has always wanted.
The latest film from the legendary Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and more) is directed by Goro Miyazaki (From Up on Poppy Hill, Tales from Earthsea) and produced by studio co-founder Toshio Suzuki, with planning on the feature from Academy Award®-winner Hayao Miyazaki. Featuring the voices of Richard E. Grant, Kacey Musgraves and Dan Stevens, Earwig and the Witch additionally features an English language theme song performance by six-time Grammy Award-winner Kacey Musgraves. Based on the children’s novel by Diana Wynne Jones (“Howl’s Moving Castle”), the film marks Studio Ghibli’s first 3DCG animated feature.
Japanese Language Trailer
