Fans are complaining about the film’s departure from the studio’s traditional animation style
Yesterday (December 2), Studio Ghibli released the first trailer for Earwig and the Witch, the studio’s first all 3D CGI animation – but its “stiff and off-putting” style has drawn the ire of fans.
Previously reported to be titled Aya and the Witch, and also promoted as Aya to Majo, the film is directed by Goro Miyazaki (the son of Ghibli founder Hayao). Set in 1990s England, the story is based on British author Diana Wynne Jones’s book of the same name, which came out in 2011.
After the first trailer for the film was released, however, Ghibli fans and viewers complained about the departure from the studio’s traditional animation style.
One fan wrote on Twitter that they found the animation style to be “very stiff and off-putting,” while another said “it looks like everything is made of plastic”. A different user agreed: “I don’t know what it is, but it looks weird as hell...? Stiff maybe? Is it the shading? Some shots look really nice, but some don’t....”
Someone else compared the trailer to “a cheap kids TV show”, while another wrote: “I really wanna love that 3D Ghibli film on an aesthetic level. But the vast majority of that trailer was a bit difficult to watch.”
Earwig and the Witch follows a young orphan named Earwig, who’s plucked away from the orphanage she loves and forced to live with a selfish witch, Bella Yaga. With the help of a talking cat, Earwig uses her wit to show the witch who‘s boss.
The film will debut on Japanese broadcaster NHK on December 30. A dubbed English version is expected in 2021, with an intended run in US cinemas. In the meantime, watch the trailer here and check out the studio’s back catalogue of artworks here.
Just seen the trailer for the new #Ghibli movie. To say it looks awful is an understatement. CGI is not the be all and end all. Hand drawn art (not to mention the stories) are the reason people love Ghibli in the first place! It looks like a cheap kids TV show. #studioghibli
— 💀Peculiar Curio💀 (@PeculiarCurio) December 2, 2020
why on gods earth did they flat shade like this https://t.co/AIH5aKTMHx
— Jules - ABOLISH POL(ICE) (@letsgotothemaul) December 2, 2020
Kinda weird seeing a 3D #StudioGhibli film, hopefully they’re not done with 2D animation altogether https://t.co/VWqrAXHs93
— Nick Shaffer (@nickjshaffer) December 2, 2020
When 2020 is almost over but it keeps surprising you with bad news. #Ghibli#StudioGhibli#ghibli3Dhttps://t.co/QPRCyiriFB
— andre.neri.bks (@BksNeri) December 3, 2020
I'm all for exploring different mediums, but this doesn't quite live up to the standard of quality we've come to expect from ghibli. It looks great in a lot of ways, but it looks just so wrong in so many more. It looks like everything is made of plastic
— Mister Bun (@HerpDerpSmithee) December 2, 2020