Earwig and the Witch
Movie, 2020, The 2020s, Set in A witch's house
Earwig and the Witch is #24 of 25 in release order and #24 of 25 in chronological order in the Studio Ghibli.
The story
A headstrong orphan discovers a world of spells and potions while living with a selfish witch.
Earwig and the Witch recap
Earwig and the Witch (2020) follows a strong-willed orphan adopted by a witch who only wants an extra pair of hands, and who sets out to beat her. Gorō Miyazaki directed this adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones's novel, Ghibli's first fully 3D computer-animated feature, which premiered on NHK television. Left as a baby at St Morwald's children's home in 1990s England by a witch in a band, Earwig (Kokoro Hirasawa) runs the orphanage to her liking and does not want to leave. Bella Yaga (Shinobu Terajima) and the towering Mandrake (Etsushi Toyokawa) adopt her anyway, and Bella Yaga puts her to work grinding spell ingredients without teaching her magic. Mandrake seals the exits. Earwig befriends the talking cat Thomas (Gaku Hamada) and secretly brews a spell to protect herself from magic, plus one to give Bella Yaga a literal extra pair of hands.
Earwig and the Witch ending explained
Earwig and the Witch ends with Bella Yaga's punishments failing against Earwig's protection spell. Exploring Mandrake's room, Earwig learns that Bella Yaga and Mandrake once played in a band called Earwig with her mother as singer. She ends up running the household, invites her friend Custard over at Christmas, and her mother turns up at the door. The story stops there, with no sequel.
Where to watch Earwig and the Witch
Earwig and the Witch is streaming on HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 4.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 29%
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Red Turtle, before The Boy and the Heron.
- Chronological order: after The Red Turtle, before The Boy and the Heron.
Cast
- Kokoro Hirasawa as Earwig (voice)
- Shinobu Terajima as Bella Yaga (voice)
- Gaku Hamada as Thomas (voice)
- Sherina Munaf as Earwig's Mother (voice)
- Etsushi Toyokawa as The Mandrake (voice)
- Yuji Ueda as Mr. Jenkins (voice)
Directed by Goro Miyazaki.