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After taking in the initial shock of Studio Ghibli’s fresh new look, fans in Japan were keen to see how the studio’s new CGI animation, ‘Aya and the Witch’, would compare to some of its older classics. The full-length feature premiered as a TV broadcast on NHK in December, meaning those in Japan were able to watch it safely at home despite the pandemic.
Now, HBO Max is releasing an English version of the film for viewers in US territories. The film will be available on the streaming platform from February 5, but as a teaser, HBO Max has uploaded this English-dubbed trailer to YouTube. In the English-dubbed version, the title ‘Aya and the Witch’ was reverted to ‘Earwig and the Witch’ to match the name of the children’s novel the animation was adapted from.
For those in the US territories, you can also watch the film's opening scene here. The first scene shows Earwig’s mother riding a motorbike at top speed as she is chased by a yellow car. With her infant strapped to her chest, she manages to lose her pursuers and arrives at St Morwald’s Home for Children just as dawn begins to break. Earwig will later grow up to be a strong and independent child who discovers that she possesses mysterious powers – but you’ll have to watch the full film to find out how she uses them.
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