Anime fans will be ecstatic to find out that distribution rights for Studio Ghibli's Earwig and the Witch in North America have been acquired by GKIDS, and that the movie is expected to launch in North American theatres early in 2021.
For those unaware, Earwig and the Witch is Studio Ghibli's first ever computer-animated movie in 3D, and is based on Diana Wynne Jones' children's novel of the same name. The film is beig directed by Goro Miyazaki, not to be confused with his father Hayao, and is slated to air on NHK(Japan's national broadcasting organisation) at some point in winter of this year.
As mentioned above, Goro Miyazaki(From Up on Poppy Hill, Tales from Earthsea) may be directing the movie, but his father Hayao(Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro) is still involved in the film-making process, while Studio Ghibli Co-Founder and long-time colleague of Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, will be producing the movie.
With all that has been going on in the world with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is impossible to predict whether the dates for both the Japanese and North American release of Earwig and the Witch will remain unchanged, so we will have to keep waiting to see how things turn out moving forward. We will keep you posted, in case the studio decides to make any changes.
Growing up in an orphanage, Earwig has no idea that her mother had magical powers. Her life will take a new turn when a strange family takes her in, and she is forced to live with a selfish witch.
Earwig and the Witch is expected to release in North America early in 2021.