Earwig and the Witch (Japanese: アーヤと魔女, Hepburn: Āya to Majo, lit. 'Āya and the Witch') is a 2020 Japanese animated fantasy film directed by Gorō Miyazaki and with a screenplay by Keiko Niwa and Emi Gunji. It is based on the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones. The original voice cast includes Shinobu Terajima, Etsushi Toyokawa, Gaku Hamada, and Kokoro Hirasawa.

A co-production between Studio Ghibli, NHK, and NHK Enterprises, Earwig and the Witch had its world premiere on October 18, 2020, at the Lumière Film Festival, before premiering in Japan on television on December 30, 2020, on NHK General TV; it was then released in theatres in Japan by Toho on August 27, 2021. The film received negative reviews from critics and grossed US$842,744 at the worldwide box office.
Earwig and the Witch

Theatrical release poster

Japanese name
Kanji アーヤと魔女
Literal meaning Āya and the Witch

showTranscriptions

Directed by Gorō Miyazaki
Screenplay by
Keiko Niwa
Emi Gunji
Based on Earwig and the Witch
by Diana Wynne Jones
Produced by Toshio Suzuki
Starring
Shinobu Terajima
Etsushi Toyokawa
Gaku Hamada
Kokoro Hirasawa
Music by Satoshi Takebe

Production
company
Studio Ghibli[1]
Distributed by Toho (theatrical)

Release dates
October 18, 2020 (Lumière Festival)[2]
December 30, 2020 (NHK G)[3]
August 27, 2021 (theatrical)

Running time 82 minutes[4]
Country Japan
Language Japanese
Box office US$842,744