Bring home ‘Earwig and the Witch’

Category: Blu-ray's and DVD's


Earwig and the Witch is another fantasy story from Studio Ghibli. At its center is a well-meaning and wise little girl.

Earwig is left at the door of an orphanage when she is just a tot. The note accompanying her explains that her mother is a witch and is running from other witches and will return for her sometime in the future. She is renamed Ericka by the head of the orphanage and the little girl grows up happy. Why isn’t she happy? After all, everyone there does whatever she wants. And she is a kind little girl.

One day a strange couple adopts her, even though she says she does not want to leave. She discovers the woman, Bella, is a witch and only wants her for an extra pair of hands. Earwig agrees to work hard if Bella will teach her spells. The Mandrake is the head of the house and never wants to be disturbed. This is a strange and upsetting place however Earwig accepts the challenge and goes to work.

After awhile she is tired of being treated like a slave and along with the talking cat named Thomas, decides to create some magic to reverse the situation.

When Earwig was left at the orphanage there was a cassette with her. This tape contains a song that Earwig plays and soon discovers it is magical. Life then turns around for Earwig.

Included on the Blu-ray disc is a full-length storyboard layout of the film complete with audio. It provides viewers a peek inside how animated films are created. Another bonus feature (in Japanese with English subtitles) is a look at how the film came to be, what the filmmakers thought about the story and the characters, how music plays an important part in the film, and more. The movie is taken from the novel by Diana Wynne Jones. The story of this clever little girl who faces darkness but turns it into light caught the attention of Studio Ghibli. Kids might want to search for the novel to read the story themselves.

While this is not the best movie from Studio Ghibli, it is entertaining, and Earwig is a delightful character. Earwig and the Witch is their latest film.

Other films from Studio Ghibli

  • When Marnie Was There
  • The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
  • The Wind Rises
  • From Up on Poppy Hill
  • Arrietty
  • Ponyo
  • Tales from Earthsea
  • Howl’s Moving Castle
  • The Cat Returns
  • Spirited Away
  • My Neighbors the Yamadas
  • Princess Mononoke
  • Whisper of the Heart
  • Pom Pom
  • Ocean Waves

Earwig and the Witch is rated PG for some scary images and rude material. The DVD is available April 6, 2021 and Digital platforms March 23, 2021.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Los Angeles Press Club and the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.