Earwig and the Witch

How did some slip of the tongue grow up to be the internationally ignored....

Wait. I'm not reviewing Hedwig and the Angry Itch. It's Earwig and the Witch.

This Studio Ghibli production has some pedigree. It's directed by Goro Miyazaki (Tales from Earthsea, From Up on Poppy Hill), son of the studio's celebrated co-founder, Hayao. It's based on a novel by Diana Wynn Jones, whose Howl's Moving Castle was animated by the old man in 2004. It's also the Studio's first CGI film. What else does it have?

Earwig (Taylor Paige-Henderson) was left as a baby at an orphanage by her witch mother (Kacey Musgraves). The orphanage Matron didn't like the name Earwig so she changed it to Erica Wigg. Earwig/Erica grows up to be a mischievous but polite 10-year-old. She has the orphanage staff wrapped around her finger. But then, Bella Yaga (Vanessa Marshall) comes calling.

Yaga is a Witch who wants an assistant and she decides Earwig will do. Yaga puts her to work right away. Earwig wants Yaga to teach her magic; Yaga wants her to keep quiet and work. Meanwhile, an apparently scary demon named Mandrake (Richard E. Grant) lives with them. Perhaps Earwig can appeal to Him.

This was produced for Japanese TV, but there's an extended edition coming to theaters next month. That might explain the quality of the animation. It's especially apparent with the characters' generally lifeless hair. Earwig's mother's hair flows in the wind as she rides her cycle, but that's it. The silly facial expressions aren't the same on CGI characters as they'd be on paper ones. But still, there's some trippy effects, including the reveal of Mandrake's true form. Overall, the animation is not Ghibli's best, but it's far, FAR from the catastrophe some critics think it is.

Where it nearly goes wrong is the writing. We see Earwig introduced to a band with her name. A band which her mother, Yaga and Mandrake used to be in. We see flashbacks to the band's life together. The film ends when her mother shows up with Earwig's orphanage pal, Custard. What's the problem? Earwig not only fails to learn about her true past, but the film ends immediately when her mother shows up. A few interesting concepts quickly go flat. Is this supposed to be a pilot for a TV series? If so, where's the show?

Now for the characters. Earwig is just too nice to be naughty. In fact, her naughtiness reaches her peak when confronted with Yaga's overdemanding workload. Can you blame her on some counts? Yaga is a smug antagonist who could've benefited from that dangling backstory. Mandrake actually being a good guy was a nice development. But the best character of the bunch is Thomas the Talking Cat (Dan Stevens). He's a dry-witted and snarky familiar who helps Earwig when Yaga won't.

Oh yeah, the music. Satoshi Takebe scores the film with an eccentric jazz soundtrack. The opening credits music is a delightfully lively piece. He also co-composed Earwig's hit single, Don't Disturb Me, and the end credits song, The World is in My Hands. The music is simply the best part of the film.

Earwig and the Witch runs at a brisk 82 minutes. It's a simple story for anyone looking for a quick diversion. Anyone looking for a complex story needs to find it elsewhere. It's currently playing on HBOMax, so you can watch it, or Ghibli's other films, any time of day. I wonder if they'll dub the extended edition too?

LATE UPDATE: It turns out that the version I reviewed IS the extended version.