A trailer for the new film from beloved Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli has drawn the ire of fans.
Directed by Tales From Earthsea’s Gorō Miyazaki, son of the legendary Ghibli filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, Earwig and the Witch is the first film to be made by Ghibli using full 3D CGI animation.
After the first trailer for the film was released, Ghibli fans and viewers complained about the departure from the studio’s traditional animation style.
Earwig and the Witch is based on Diana Wynne Jones’ 2011 children’s book of the same name, and follows an orphan girl who is adopted by a witch.
One fan wrote on Twitter that they found the animation style to be “very stiff and off-putting,” while another concurred: “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 wrote: “I really wanna love that 3D Ghibli film on an aesthetic level,” wrote someone else. “There are some shots I've seen that really do be _extremely_ charming and well coloured/valued where the animation doesn't feel uncomfortable.
“But the vast majority of that trailer was a bit difficult to watch.”
Others, however, defended the clip, with one person writing: “It looks a bit rough but maybe that's because the resolution of the trailer is 360p? I'm still looking forward to it...
“This is Studio Ghibli's first CGI film, so even if it has issues... I wouldn't doubt they would learn from them and improve things with their next attempt.”
Earwig and the Witch is scheduled to air on Japanese channel NHK on 30 December, with a UK release still to be confirmed.
