The English-language dub is set to feature the voices of Oscar nominee Richard E. The decision to pass on the studio’s famous hand-drawn style has made “ Earwig” a polarizing title, but the Cannes Film Festival did give the title its seal approval by naming it part of the 2020 official selection earlier this year. The return of Studio Ghibli has commenced with the official trailer debuts for the studio’s new feature, “ Earwig and the Witch.” Based on the children’s novel of the same name by author Diana Wynne Jones, “ Earwig” marks the first solo Studio Ghibli production since the 2014 release of “ When Marnie Was There.” The Japanese animation giant co-produced 2016’s “ The Red Turtle.” “ Earwig and the Witch” is directed by Goro Miyazaki, son of Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, and marks the studio’s first feature fully rendered with CG animation. ‘Earwig and the Witch’ Trailer: Studio Ghibli Makes Long-Awaited Return with First CG Effort The footage is like a snuff film in which nobody dies: “I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself” the master says to the reverent pupil sitting across from him, Miyazaki delivering his There’s a good chance that you already know what happened next, as the video clip of Miyazaki’s withering reaction went so viral that it’s probably been seen by more people than some of his actual movies. Once upon a time, some very sadistic representatives from the Dwango Artificial Intelligence Laboratory decided that it would be a good idea to invite Studio Ghibli co-founder Miyazaki Hayao - cinema’s greatest animator, in addition to being one of its most reliable curmudgeons and a living emblem of the fanatical artistry that certain forces are trying to squeeze out of the film business however they can - to watch a grotesque demo of artificially intelligent animation. ‘Earwig and the Witch’ Review: Studio Ghibli’s First Computer-Generated Feature Is an Unholy Eyesore
WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE (2014) FREE
“Give me a child until he is 7, and I will show you the man,” proposed Aristotle, to which fiercely feminist French director Céline Sciamma might add, “Give me a woman, and I will show you the free, unbroken spirit she still was at age 8.” Sciamma, who went from being a queer cult favorite (for such bracingly free indies as “ Tomboy” and “ Water Lilies”) to an internationally respected auteur with 2019’s “ Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” follows up that barrier-breaking achievement with the slight but hardly insignificant “ Petite Maman.” Made during fall 2020 while the pandemic still severely limited film production, this 72-minute sketch looks at the connection between an 8-year-old girl, Nelly ( Joséphine Sanz), and her mother, Marion ( Nina Meurisse), through a simple leap of imagination - one that necessitates a basic spoiler to meaningfully discuss, so be warned if you’d rather save that surprise for the screen. ‘Petite Maman’ Review: An 8-Year-Old Makes a Special Connection, and So Will Audiences The film was an official selection of the 2021 Fantasia Film Festival and was released in Japan in June. Its Japanese voice cast includes Hiroya Shimizu, Konomi Kohara, Ai Kakuma, Aiko Otsuka, and Rinka Ōtani. But when the production heads towards chaos, can Gene rise to Pompo’s challenge, and succeed as a first-time director? Pompo the Cinephile hails from the new animation studio, Clap.
Hirao’s ode to filmmaking centers on Pompo, a talented and gutsy producer in the world’s movie-making capital, “Nyallywood.” Although she’s known for B-movies, Pompo one day tells her assistant Gene that he will direct her next script: a delicate drama about an aging and tormented creative genius. Gkids has nabbed North American rights to Takayuki Hirao’s indie anime pic Pompo the Cinephile, and will release both the original Japanese-language film (titled Eiga Daisuki Pompo-san) and a new English-language version in U.S.