Earwig and the Witch [Aya to Majo] (2020) 

  Earwig and the Witch proves that even the most esteemed animation studios aren't incapable of producing a lackluster effort every once in a while. It's a failed experiment that tried to use CG animation for the first time in the studio's history, only for the result to land with a resounding thud. It feels out of place in the filmography of a studio known for crafting breath-taking and awe-inspiring animated films. It ends up bearing little resemblance to their previous, highly-regarded efforts. I would even go as far as to consider a Studio Ghibli movie in-name-only because I refuse to regard it as one. 

  Earwig and the Witch is Studio Ghibli's first animated film in six years since 2014's When Marnie Was There (Omoide no Mani, "Marnie of My Memories"), with production support from NHK Enterprises. The movie's based on the children's book of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones (1934-2011), the author of Howl's Moving Castle, adapted into the acclaimed animated feature of the same name in 2004. This indication might have been a sign of a great movie in the making, yet, not every book gets adapted into an excellent feature film (ex. Eragon (2006), The Scarlet Letter (1995), The Cat in the Hat (2003)]. 

  The plot concerns Earwig (Kokoro Hirasawa), an orphan girl adopted by two magical individuals, Bella Yaga (Shinobu Terajima) and Mandrake (Etsushi Toyokawa). She subsequently goes to a new home, where a world of magic and potions awaits her. Right away, one can see this isn't the most wholly original concept. However, Studio Ghibli's penchant for breath-taking visuals, phenomenal animation, and well-rounded characters can elevate even the most uninspired plots. But unfortunately, this is not a Hayao Miyazaki movie. 

   Director Goro Miyazaki

   The film is a Goro Miyazaki movie, son of Hayao Miyazaki and a former land developer turned animation director. Earwig is Goro's third feature film, having made his directorial debut with Tales from Earthsea (2006) [Gedo Senki, "Ged's War Chronicles"]. He was initially a consultant and storyboard artist before becoming the director at the last minute. His second film, From Up on Poppy Hill [Kokuriko-zaka Kara], proved he could make a great animated movie. Earwig and the Witch is the first CG animated Studio Ghibli film, an idea considered impossible given how the studio had worked with beautifully crafted, hand-drawn animation for such a long time. Goro worked with a new team of animators that hadn't done a project of this scale before. He did not consult with any of the animation veterans of the studio, with him being the only person who had worked in CG animation. He had worked as a director and storyboard artist for the CG animated anime series Ronja, The Robber's Daughter [Sanozuko no Musume Ronya]. 

Oh no. 

  Before continuing, I confess I was never a big Studio Ghibli fan. I never found what made these films appealing in the first place. I had only seen two films from their prestigious catalog, Ponyo (2008) [Gake no Ue no Ponyo] and The Secret World of Arrietty (2011) [Kari-gurashi no Arietti]. Even so, I cannot deny the lasting influence Studio Ghibli has come to be known for, along with being held in high esteem by animators and animation fans alike. So imagine the collective look of "What the fuck?" on fans' faces when still images of the film were released online. It looked cheap and plasticky, bearing no resemblance to the monumental works of Studio Ghibli. Despite numerous red flags of a terrible film, Goro was confident that the movie would be well-received, proclaiming it to be the project he wanted everyone to see. Even Hayao Miyazaki [allegedly] declared the movie to be of "Pixar" quality. [insert J. Jonah Jameson laughing clip here, followed by the phrase "You serious?"]

  Upon its release, the film received a big, resounding "Wrong" from both critics and fans alike, with Earwig and the Witch earning predominantly negative reviews, becoming the lowest-rated Studio Ghibli film in the studio's 35-year history, scoring a 34% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critical consensus stating, 

"With a story as uninspired as its animation, Earwig and the Witch is a surprising -- and near-total -- misfire for Studio Ghibli." 

   It dethroned Tales from Earthsea, scoring a 4.7/10 on IMDb, the lowest-rated Ghibli film on the site, and a 45 on Metacritic. The film didn't even get a theatrical release. Instead, it went straight to television in December, with a theatrical release in Japan geared for an August 27th release date. 

  As someone who never watched most of Studio Ghibli's greatest works, this movie is a massive disappointment to fans and non-fans alike. I have to point out that the animation is the least of this film's problems because I honestly thought it wasn't terrible as many thought it would be. In the following paragraphs, let's take a deep dive into the core problems of the movie. 

The Animation 

One of many expressions by Earwig made uncanny by the animation.

  The animation of Earwig and the Witch wasn't the absolute worst, considering it was animated by a new team who hadn't worked with CG animation; it looks better than any right it has to be as a Studio Ghibli movie. However, considering the film was released the same year as Pixar's Soul and Pearl's Over the Moon, the animation came off as being dated for 2020. The character design is well done, for the most part, feeling like a CG conversion of Studio Ghibli's animation style. However, it sometimes leans on the experimental side, with characters resembling toys coming to life and expressions made by Earwig ranging from adequately humanistic to strangely uncanny. It certainly looks better than some half-a-billion, low-rent animated movies released in the past few years. It was nowhere a terrible sight to behold, having some animation details worthy of praise, but overall, it's not as awe-inspiring or breath-taking as its 2D counterparts.  

And here I thought having Rise of Skywalker on your resumé was embarrassing enough.

How did you go from Downton Abbey and The Guest (2014) to this?

  As I had mentioned, Earwig and the Witch is available to watch on HBO Max, should you have a subscription, but as I came to find out during a viewing, it's only available in an English dub. The dub comprises English actors, which was done before in Howl's Moving Castle (2004) and Arriety (2011), to name a few. The dub cast is comprised of veteran voice actress Vanessa Marshall, newcomer Taylor Paige Henderson, Oscar-nominated actor Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), and Dan Stevens...? I guess we all have to do a side job every once in a while. I strongly advise watching this movie in its original Japanese language, as the English dub in this movie syncs with the finesse of a 70s Kung Fu movie. The English dialogue doesn't sync well with the character's lip movements, and it's evident when you look at the screen and watch the characters talk. Many animes got away with having a good English dub by having a script that carefully translates and tweaks the dialogue to match the character's lip movements.

  Besides having an appallingly bad English dub, the reasons why Earwig and the Witch is such a terrible film stretch beyond the previously mentioned criticism. It comes down to five reasons, each one highlighting the film's most glaring and notable issues that make it Studio Ghibli's worst movie. 

1. The Characters 

  Each Studio Ghibli film has its captivating and well-developed characters, with each character separating themselves from the fantasy world they inhabit by giving it a humanistic touch. The main character offers the audience a gateway to a world beyond the imagination, grounding the stories in reality by having them face internal or external conflicts, many of which transfer on to the central story, leaving our heroes to face off against them and solve it to bring the story to a satisfying end. They take us on a mesmerizing journey through the fantastical worlds, never veering away from the added realism they bring to the fantasy surroundings before them. 

                          

                            

  In Earwig and the Witch, the characters are obnoxious and unlikeable, with no discernible personalities to distinguish them from one another. It's a downgrade from the memorable and captivating characters of past films. These are words you wouldn't think of when describing Studio Ghibli characters. The main point of this criticism is Earwig herself, a scheming, manipulative brat who can easily make people do her bidding. Her main goal is to control Bella Yaga and the Mandrake so they can do her bidding and teach her magic. There are no characters to root for in this movie, none for the audience to resonate with. They are about as complex as a Billie Eilish song. 

2. The Setting 

  Studio Ghibli films are famous for the awe-inspiring fantasy worlds their characters inhabit. It helps the audience become immersed in this fantastical world full of awe and wonder, with each setting and location having its unique look and personality. These settings are distinctive by their characters, creatures, and magical beings. It gives life to the fantastical worlds the characters inhabit, with the separation of the real from fantasy making for a compelling and unforgettable experience. 

 Earwig and the Witch tosses a potentially magical world aside, keeping the story within one location for the rest of the film. It makes the audience feel confined to this location, restraining them and the film from exploring the fantastical elements that made previous Ghibli films classics. The magical elements feel subdued, with nothing of excitement or wonder to admire or inspire awe within the viewer or the audience. It's a departure from Ghibli's beautifully crafter fantasy worlds, each more detailed with beautifully crafted hand-drawn animation than the last. The film only takes place in five locations, becoming tiresome after seeing them again with no particular difference to make them stand out. 

3. The Runtime 

  The average runtime of an animated feature should be no shorter than 90 minutes and no longer than 2 hours and 15 minutes. The director should take as long as he needs to tell the story he wants to tell, which also applies to non-animated films. Animated films should use the most out of their runtime to tell a compelling story, anchored by well-developed characters and concluding with a satisfying ending that neatly wraps up the story.

  With that said, you'd be shocked to hear Earwig and the Witch's runtime barely scrapes 90 minutes. The film is 82 minutes long (1 hr 22 mins), which is pitifully short compared to other animated films released the same year. There have been films that make the most out of a short runtime similar to this film, not to mention better films that told a great story in less than 90 minutes. What shocks me the most about the runtime is how the movie misuses it. The film barely does anything of excitement or carries the story forward. It leads to my main issue with this movie: the story. 

The story 

  The story of Earwig and the Witch is underwhelming in every aspect imaginable, feeling unfinished and half-baked. It may not have been the most original of plots, but the film could have elevated it with a few fresh spins on the story. Unfortunately, the film does nothing with its story, being too preoccupied with humor that misses more than it hits, magic shenanigans which get old fast, and characters meandering their way through scenes in hopes of advancing the plot. Spoiler alert: they don't. 

Introduced halfway through the movie, never to be explored any further.

 The plot meanders too much on Earwig's attempt to get Bella Yaga to teach her how to do magic and get Mandrake to do her bidding. There is an implied backstory about Earwig's mother playing in a band with Yaga and Mandrake, said band named Earwig [how cheeky]. This particular plot point is brought up but never explored any further through the rest of the movie. It represents what a wasted opportunity on this movie could have been. It would have been great if it were a musical adventure with magical elements thrown in, with Earwig learning about her mother's past and reconnecting with her. 

  The film never explains this plotline to us, leaving the audience with many unanswered questions. We never find out why Earwig's mother left her daughter at the orphanage when she was a baby, or who was pursuing her down the road, or why the band broke up. It's frustrating when considering this film could have benefitted from a longer runtime and a different story. But my biggest frustration with this movie is how there is no end at all. When Earwig finally gets Bella Yaga and Mandrake to do her bidding, she has a Christmas celebration with her friend Custard. Eventually, she receives a surprise visit from her mother, who says, "Merry Christmas, Earwig" and the movie ends. 

Final Thoughts 

 

  Earwig and the Witch feels like an incomplete film, missing the falling action and conclusion the story needed to have. I can't shake off the feeling that this movie got butchered in the editing room, with it not having the ending it needed, and the plotlines brought up in the film going unsolved. The film's short length and unfinished story make sense when you find out the author died before finishing the book. Diana Wynne Jones died in 2011, leaving her estate to publish it around the same year. 

  Seeing this, I felt Goro Miyazaki could have taken creative liberties with the source material, expanding upon the story and adding his take to the film. He could have made a fun musical adventure, expanding on the unfinished book by adding his ideas to form a complete narrative. The song of the film, "Don't Disturb Me" by Satoshi Takebe, is a great song that offers a mere glimpse into what this film could have been. However, I can only speculate Goro didn't take these liberties due to the harsh reactions to Tales from Earthsea from fans, critics, the author, and Hayao Miyazaki himself.

  Rather than changing the story to make it better and more in-depth than its source material, Goro elects to adapt the novel without any creative liberties. It's painful to see all the wasted potential that could have made Earwig and the Witch into the fun adventure fans of Studio Ghibli would have liked to see. It could have been a great film, but we got a forgettable romp with none of the magic of Ghibli's prior features and a compelling protagonist to boot. While it's not the giant piss stain on Miyazaki's legacy as many make it out to be, it's still a misstep for the acclaimed animation studio. 

 In the end, Earwig and the Witch is a misfire for Studio Ghibli, plain and simple. I don't see how I can recommend this film to Ghibli fans unless you are the completionist who must see every movie in Studio Ghibli's repertoire. To kids who have never seen a Ghibli film, there are better options for them to pick from Studio Ghibli's filmography to introduce the world of anime to a fan in the making.