We're going to be waiting a while for animation god Hayao Miyazaki's next film, but that doesn't mean that everything his studio, Ghibli, does is that far away. In fact his son, Gorō Miyazaki has worked on Aya And The Witch.
It's based on the children's book Earwig And The Witch by Diana Wynne Jones (who, trivia fans, was behind the tome Ghibli adapted into Howl's Moving Castle). The story follows Earwig, an orphan girl living in St. Morwald's Home for Children. She's adopted by a woman named Bella Yaga, who turns out to be a terrible witch and brings Earwig to live in her home of supernatural trinkets. With help from a talking cat, the girl must use her wits to survive. Yep, sounds like Ghibli material to us.
Studio co-founder and producer Toshio Suzuki made a statement about the film, which will be that rare release from Ghibli brought to life with 3D computer animation. "Can Aya And The Witch do well after corona? I thought about that many times when I was watching the early footage. Then I realized the big characteristic of the movie is Aya’s wisdom. If only we have wisdom, we can overcome anything in any era. When I thought about that, I was relieved," he says."
"If Pippi Longstocking is the story of the world’s strongest girl," he continued, "Aya is the story of the world’s smartest girl," Suzuki adds. "Aya is cheeky but somehow cute. I hope she is loved by many types of people. By the way, I thought Aya reminded me of someone, then it turned out it was Goro himself, who was the director of the movie. When I told that to him he looked bashful."
Coronavirus will still impact the movie, as it'll screen on television in Japan and there is no word yet on a release date – though the film has been included in the Cannes 2020 announcement. We're just happy to have more Studio Ghibli artistry on the way.