disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

EARWIG AND THE WITCH -- A Cute 3D Animation Debut from Ghibli

1/31/2021

4 Comments

 
Review by Sean Boelman
Picture
Studio Ghibli is known for their intimate and gorgeous hand-drawn animated films, and while their first 3D computer animated movie doesn’t live up to that standard, it’s still significantly more inspired than a majority of animated fare. Enjoyable but rushed, Earwig and the Witch is a lot better than expected, but not as good as it could have been. 

Based on the English novel by Diana Wynne Jones, the film tells the story of an orphan who is adopted by a witch and gets drawn into an unexpected world of magic. Even though it is filled with whimsy, the movie isn’t quite able to capture the same feeling of wonder that defines some of the best Ghibli classics.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about the film is that it is almost entirely missing a third act. We get the setup in the first twenty minutes and the conflict for the next hour, but it then just ends without giving much in the way of resolution. Perhaps it is setting up for sequels, but these loose ends are agonizing.

Since the movie is so short (a mere eighty-two minutes), it also doesn’t have a whole lot of time to explore its themes with much depth. The message about being oneself is nice, but it doesn’t really come into play until about halfway through. As a result, this feels a lot more shallow than a majority of the studio’s other films.
Picture
The character development in the movie is a bit weak, but there are definitely some aspects that work really well. The Mandrake is an interesting character that has a lot of potential to be further explored in future installments, but a lot of the other supporting players are really generic and archetypal.

That said, the film does an excellent job of building its world, and that is what makes it tick. When the movie starts to really invest in the musical portion of the story, it becomes really charming, getting elevated from a somewhat standard fantasy fable into the more magical tale that it should have been in the first place.

This film has gotten a lot of heat from Ghibli fans because of its visual style departing so widely from the traditional form, but the animation doesn’t look bad. There are a few moments that feel a bit cheesy, but for the most part, it works surprisingly well. That said, the best part of the movie is undeniably the soundtrack, which features some truly catchy songs. 

Earwig and the Witch isn’t the next great Ghibli movie, but it’s passable entertainment and still mostly well-made. Hopefully this is them working out some of the kinks with the new style so that their next 3D animated movie is more effective.

Earwig and the Witch hits theaters on February 3 and HBO Max on February 5.

​Rating: 3.5/5
               
4 Comments
Weareseos link
12/2/2021 06:04:18 pm

I truly appreciate your great post!

Reply
Epdm Roofing Saraland Al link
12/4/2021 02:44:14 pm

It was bound to happen. And it shouldn’t be a complete surprise. The latest Studio Ghibli film,

Reply
Air Conditioning Installation In Fairhope link
12/30/2021 04:11:53 pm

Yet the film prompted “horror” the moment the trailer came out. Ghibli's first foray into fully computer-generated three-dimensional graphics Thank you!

Reply
customer resource management link
8/22/2022 03:44:51 pm

We get the setup in the first twenty minutes and the conflict for the next hour, but it then just ends without giving much in the way of resolution. Perhaps it is setting up for sequels, but these loose ends are agonizing. I really enjoy reading your posts where I can get such useful information. Thanks for all your advice. It’s invaluable!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About