Well, that didn’t take long. Just a couple of weeks after the English-language trailer for Studio Ghibli’s Earwig and the Witch, GKids has announced the anticipated film will hit select theaters and HBO Max in February.
Earwig and the Witch, Studio Ghibli’s first CG-animated film and first movie in four years, will open in select theaters on February 3rd, available in both Japanese subtitles and English dub. Just two days later on February 5th the film will be available for streaming on HBO Max. The film has been available in Japan since last month, which makes this a quick turnaround considering how hard it used to be to get Studio Ghibli films stateside.
The film is directed by Goro Miyazaki, son of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, and follows an orphan girl, unaware that her mother had magical powers, who is taken in by the witch Bella Yaga. Richard E. Grant, Dan Stevens, Taylor Paige Henderson, Vanessa Marshall, and singer Kacey Musgraves provide the English voiceover.
All eyes will be on this one, both because it’s been so long without a Studio Ghibli film, but also because it’s their first attempt at CG-animation. To be honest, the trailers we’ve seen have not looked great, but the magical spirit and vibrant characters we’ve come to expect from Ghibli seem to be in place.
