Earwig and the Witch

Alternate Titles

アーヤと魔女
Aya to Majo

Synopsis

Set in England during the 1990s, Earwig is a 10-year-old orphan girl who grew up in the St. Morwald's Home for Children until one day when she is taken in by a witch named Vera Yaga and a man who lives with her named Mandrake.

Background

Earwig and the Witch is an animated film produced by Studio Ghibli and directed by Goro Miyazaki, son of the renowned animator Hayao Miyazaki. The film is the first full-length 3D CG animation by Studio Ghibli. Though originally scheduled to premiere during the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the release was postponed until Dec. 30, 2020 when it aired on NHK General TV.

The film has been acquired for distribution in North America by Studio Ghibli's North American distributor GKIDS and is slated for a limited theatrical run beginning on Feb. 3, 2021. The film will also be available through HBO Max beginning on Feb. 5.

Characters

Earwig (Voiced by: Kokoro Hirasawa (Japanese); Taylor Paige Henderson (English))
The main character of the story. Earwig is a 10-year-old girl living in an orphanage. She is clever and talented enough to manipulate those around her to get what she wants. Her real name is “Ayazuru,” but she doesn’t know that.

Bella Yaga (Voiced by: Shinobu Terajima (Japanese); Vanessa Marshall (English))
Bella Yaga is a witch who makes a living creating and selling spells. She has a self-centered personality. She takes in Earwig because she wanted a new helper. She used to be the drummer in the rock band EARWIG.

Mandrake (Voiced by: Etsushi Toyokawa (Japanese); Richard E. Grant (English))
Mandrake is a large man and novelist who lives with Bella Yaga. He can’t control himself when he gets angry, and even Bella is very careful around him. He is unsociable but takes good care of Earwig. He used to be the leader and keyboardist of the rock band EARWIG.

Thomas (Voiced by: Gaku Hamada (Japanese); Dan Stevens (English))
Thomas is a black cat and Bella’s familiar who can talk. He is needed for Bella to create spells, but he hates her spells and always tries to run away. He is timid but cheeky.

Earwig’s Mother (Voiced by: Sherina Munaf (Japanese); Kacey Musgraves (English))
She used to be the vocalist of the rock band EARWIG, but the band ended up breaking up after she left due to having a falling out with Bella.

Music

• Theme Song: “Don’t Disturb Me” by Sherina Munaf
• Ending Theme Song: "My World Conquest" by Sherina Munaf

Official Site (Japanese)

• Original Story: Diana Wynne Jones
• Planning: Hayao Miyazaki
• Director: Goro Miyazaki
• Screenplay: Keiko Niwa, Emi Gunji
• Character/Stage Setting Design: Miho Satake
• Music: Satoshi Takebe
• Sound Director: Koji Kasamatsu
• Postrecording Director: Eriko Kimura
• Character Design: Katsuya Kondo
• CG Supervisor: Yukinori Nakamura
• Animation Director: Tan Seri
• Background Art: Hiroki Takeuchi
• Animation Producer: Kentaro Morishita
• Producer: Toshio Suzuki
• Production Supervisors: Isao Yoshikuni, Keisuke Dobashi, Koji Hoshino