Erica Wig (well, the name she was left with was actually ‘Earwig’ but Matron didn’t think it a proper name for a little girl) is perfectly content with her life at the St. Morwald’s Home for Children. After all, it’s totally spick and span, the large windows let in lots of sunshine, the shepherd’s pie is really good, and she has an uncanny knack for getting everyone to do what she wants. Compared to that, a normal family would be boring. But then she’s adopted by Bella Yaga and her mysterious companion the Mandrake. Bella’s a witch and she’s adopted Erica to be her “extra pair of hands”. For the first time, Erica is being forced to do something she doesn’t want to do, and as Bella works her to the bone, she’s determined to find a way to manipulate the situation to her advantage. There’s just one thing she must be careful of: don’t disturb the Mandrake.
Reviews for Earwig and the Witch here in the West have tended to be on the negative side, with a degree of negativity I don’t think is deserved. Yes, the film isn’t perfect and it does have a couple of genuine problems, but I can’t help but wonder how much of the reaction is due to those reviewers having their expectations of Studio Ghibli challenged.
The two main complaints seem to be the animation and the story. Let’s start with the animation. Ghibli is known for its gorgeous, traditional 2D animation and, although they’ve used computers in their films before (most aspects of 2D animation are done digitally now), Earwig is Ghibli’s first fully 3D animated feature, and this alone seems to have put some on the back foot, decrying it as “uncanny” and “soulless”. Now, no one has said, or is saying, that this will replace their traditional animation but I do understand why hardcore Ghibli and traditional animation fans—I speak as both—would lament the change. At the same time, however, I feel it’s a little unrealistic, even unfair, to expect them to remain forever preserved in aspic and not be allowed to experiment or innovate. It is true that, initially, it’s a little strange to see Ghibli’s signature style translated into 3D; the “playdough” comparisons are not entirely unwarranted, particularly when it comes to hair and characters with more elaborate hairstyles. But the environments are just as lush and detailed as those in their traditionally animated films and the characters move around well within them, the physical animation being pretty fluid, the only occasions where it can look a little stiff being the transitions between characters’ facial expressions (although in some cases, like with the Mandrake’s bubbling rage, this uncanny aspect actually works to its advantage). An important thing to remember is that Earwig is a co-production between Studio Ghibli and the NHK (Japan’s public broadcaster) and is therefore technically a made-for-tv film, so it’s safe to assume that the budget will not have been as substantial as one made for theatrical release. Director Goro Miyazaki also said that, while he received encouragement from both his father and Toshio Suzuki, he was pretty much left to go it alone with a young staff. He was also the only one at the studio who knew the method of creating CG animation.
Is Earwig’s animation up there with industry heavyweights like Pixar? No. But with more time, money and expertise, Ghibli could produce CG films that are every bit as beautiful and rich as their 2D ones. It shouldn’t have to be just one or the other.
Then we have the story, where I think the film’s problems, such as they are, mainly lie. These being the fact that the plot does meander a little, as Erica spends most of the time stuck in Bella’s house, and ends a little abruptly, at a point where the story could have gone in an interesting direction if it were to be explored. But this is all to do with the book they’ve chosen to adapt. Like Howl’s Moving Castle (which, if you pay attention to the charmingly illustrated end credits, you can see a little Easter Egg for), Earwig and the Witch is another adaptation of a Diana Wynne Jones book, but with a couple of key differences: firstly, Earwig is a much shorter book compared to Howl, and, secondly, aimed at much younger children. There’s simply not as much story to explore. But with a running time of only 82 minutes, it moves along at a brisk pace, not allowing much opportunity for boredom.
The characters are typical of those created by Jones: flawed—sometimes to the point of being unlikable (though, as with beauty, likability is often in the eye of the beholder)—but often with a buried heart of gold (though, like with Howl, it is possible that the adaptation has smoothed some of their rougher edges a little), and always colourful. The performances reflect this, stand-outs being Taylor Paige Henderson as the voice of Erica, who handles her character’s energy and mood changes with ease, and Richard E. Grant as the Mandrake, who infuses him with a lugubriousness that is by turns menacing, endearing and hilarious. I also think that the character’s design has a little of the look of Grant too; a happy coincidence that made me smile. Another stand-out element is Satoshi Takebe’s score, which is as vibrant and colourful as the rest of the film (though knowing when to pull it back for the quieter moments); the two songs—theme song ‘Don’t Disturb Me’, (Sherina Munaf/ Kacey Musgraves) motifs from which recur throughout, and ending song ‘The World Is In My Hands’ (Sherina Munaf)—are earworms which will stay in your head for a long time afterwards.
My advice is: temper your expectations. If you go in expecting a traditional Ghibli ‘masterpiece’ chances are you’re going to be disappointed, but if you go in expecting a cute, fun, colourful kids film (which, at its heart, is what Earwig is) you’re in for a pretty good time.
