The folks at Studio Ghibli have been working on 3DCG for awhile in a number of areas and they recently revealed their next feature film. The project is Aya to Majo, which is based on the novel Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones, whose previous work of Howl’s Moving Castle was handled by Studio Ghibli. It was recently revealed to have a December 30th, 2020 debut in Japan and now Australian distributor Madman Entertainment has stepped in with a reveal. They’re planning to bring this film out to audiences in Australia and New Zealand in early 2021 with details and theater lists to come with the launch of an official site.
English Voice Cast in Order of Appearance
🎶🎤 We're pleased to announce that a new #StudioGhibli film is upon us: #EarwigAndTheWitch, directed by Goro Miyazaki, arrives in cinemas across Australia & New Zealand in early 2021! Stay tuned for more details! 🧙♀️ https://t.co/LRvL1hFUaK 🧙♀️ pic.twitter.com/pn2o4ZBE8w
— Madman Anime (@Madman) December 23, 2020
The project has Goro Miyazaki directing it while Hayao Miyazaki is listed as working on the planning and development. Toshio Suzuki is, once again, producing. Now, we know that Keiko Niwa and Emi Gunji wrote the screenplay for it with Katsuya Kondo adapting the designs from Miho Satake’s original novel.
The Japanese cast includes Shinobu Terajima, Etsushi Toyokawa, Gaku Hamada, and Kokoro Hirasawa.
GKIDS announced in July 2020 that they’ve picked up the North American rights to the film with updates to come in the future. The intention is to release it in theaters in North America in 2021.
Check out the US official site.
Plot Concept: Not every orphan would love living at St. Morwald’s Home for Children, but Earwig does. She gets whatever she wants, whenever she wants it, and it’s been that way since she was dropped on the orphanage doorstep as a baby. But all that changes the day Bella Yaga and the Mandrake come to St. Morwald’s, disguised as foster parents. Earwig is whisked off to their mysterious house full of invisible rooms, potions, and spell books, with magic around every corner. Most children would run in terror from a house like that . . . but not Earwig. Using her own cleverness—with a lot of help from a talking cat—she decides to show the witch who’s boss.
