Studio Ghibli’s newest film, Earwig and the Witch, is now streaming on HBO Max! When HBO Max was first announcing the library for the then burgeoning streaming service, one of the biggest gets from early on was the exclusive streaming license to Studio Ghibli‘s line of classic anime films. Thanks to GKIDS, HBO Max in North America has seen a number of other major anime films making their way to the streaming service soon after all. Now another Studio Ghibli release has made it to the platform, but it’s very different from the 2D animated releases of the past.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Earwig and the Witch is Studio Ghibli’s first entirely 3DCG animated effort, and it shows how Ghibli’s aesthetic will translate to the third dimension. Directed by Goro Miyazaki and produced by studio co-founder Toshio Suzuki, with planning from Hayao Miyazaki, the feature is based on the children’s novel “Earwig and the Witch” by Diana Wynne Jones (who also served as the inspiration for Howl’s Moving Castle). Now you can stream the film’s English dub release with HBO Max.
The English dub release of the film includes the cast of Taylor Paige Henderson as Earwig, Kacey Musgraves as Earwig’s Mother, Dan Stevens as Thomas, Richard E. Grant as The Mandrake, alongside the likes of Pandora Colin, Alex Cartana, JB Blanc, Logan Hannan, Summer Jenkins, Vivienne Rutherford, Tom Bromhead, Eva Kaminsky, and Vanessa Marshall. For those hoping for the Japanese language release, you’ll be able to check it out with the official digital release on March 23rd, and its Blu-ray and DVD release on April 11th.
Earwig and the Witch is also having a limited release run in theaters, but theater availability will vary. GKIDS describes Studio Ghibli’s newest film as such, “Growing up in an orphanage in the British countryside, Earwig has no idea that her mother had magical powers. Her life changes dramatically when a strange couple takes her in, and she is forced to live with a selfish witch. As the headstrong young girl sets out to uncover the secrets of her new guardians, she discovers a world of spells and potions, and a mysterious song that may be the key to finding the family she has always wanted.”
Will you be checking out Earwig and the Witch on HBO Max? What do you think of Studio Ghibli’s 3DCG style? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or you can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!
