Review of Earwig and the Witch (2021) by Dynamitestpetes — 06 Feb 2021

Saw this movie tonight with my girlfriend. Myself, a longtime Ghibli fan, her, only seen one or two, not the biggest fan.

We both thoroughly enjoyed Earwig and the Witch! The story is not some sweeping adventure like Howl's Moving Castle orSaw this movie tonight with my girlfriend. Myself, a longtime Ghibli fan, her, only seen one or two, not the biggest fan.

We both thoroughly enjoyed Earwig and the Witch!

The story is not some sweeping adventure like Howl's Moving Castle or Spirited Away, it's a small and focused story about a girl's life, the relationships she builds, and how she builds them.

It doesn't get into too many specifics in the story or the characters, but I'd argue it didn't need to. They show you what they need to and let you fill in the small gaps with your imagination. It has a level of childlike whimsy to the flow of the story, and I was just completely into that.

There were a couple surprise story reveals that as soon as they hit, I just LOVED.

For animation, it's 3D, but it looks much better than most regular 3D anime series. I really enjoyed some of the small touches and details. Goo looks gooey, faces deform when touched, wet hair looks like wet hair. I guess maybe the characters look a bit like 3D representations of an old school anime style (if that makes any sense, kinda like the newest Lupin III 2020 movie honestly).

The movie ends quite abruptly and leaves many questions unanswered. However this movie is not about a whole chunck of universe building, it is more one section of time in this girl's life. The girlfriend and I were eager to see more for sure, but it is what it is.

Definitely see myself purchasing this when I get the chance.