Directed by Gorō Miyazaki, son of Hayao, Studio Ghibli’s first feature-length foray into computer-generated animation has a clunkiness to it. With her grumpy expression, mismatched socks and pigtails pricked up like antennae, enterprising orphan Earwig (dubbed by Taylor Henderson) is a cute enough creation, but there’s neither believable camaraderie between her and Dan Stevens’s rangy and taciturn black cat, nor sufficient antagonism between her and the blue-haired witch (Vanessa Marshall) who “adopts” and imprisons her. Everything moves a little too slowly, not least the shuffling animation. For a film about magic, there’s little sparkle to spare.
