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Earwig and the Witch Gets Theatrical Screenings With New Footage, Dolby Cinema in Japan on April 29

The official website for Studio Ghibli's first CG feature Earwig and the Witch, Goro Miyazaki's anime adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones' novel of the same name, revealed on Thursday that the film will open in theaters in Japan on April 29, after it premiered on Japanese television through NHK General on December 30. The site is also streaming a new trailer for the film.

The theatrical version is adding some new footage, and some participating theaters will present the feature in Dolby Cinema.

Goro Miyazaki directed the anime as the studio's first full 3D CG feature, and his father and studio co-founder Hayao Miyazaki are credited for the movie's planning and development. Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki produced the film. French distributor Wild Bunch International is serving as the feature's international sales agent.

GKIDS and Fathom Events began screening the film in 430 theaters in the United States on February 3. The film ranked at #11 in the United States in its opening weekend, earning US$99,941 for a total of US$132,768. The film is screening in Japanese with English subtitles and in English. HBO Max began streaming the film on February 5 in the U.S. The theatrical run qualifies the film for the Oscars.

The film is also screening in some countries and territories in Europe, Central America, and South America, as well as in Australia.

GKIDS will release the film on digital platforms on March 23 and on Blu-ray Disc on April 6. The company's home video releases will include a Blu-ray Disc and DVD combo version and a Steelbook limited edition. The releases will include behind-the-scenes interviews with director Goro Miyazaki, producer Toshio Suzuki, and Japanese cast and crew, as well as storyboards.

Jones published the novel in 2011, and publisher HarperCollins describes the story:

Not every orphan would love living at St. Morwald's Home for Children, but Earwig does. She gets whatever she wants, whenever she wants it, and it's been that way since she was dropped on the orphanage doorstep as a baby. But all that changes the day Bella Yaga and the Mandrake come to St. Morwald's, disguised as foster parents. Earwig is whisked off to their mysterious house full of invisible rooms, potions, and spell books, with magic around every corner. Most children would run in terror from a house like that . . . but not Earwig. Using her own cleverness—with a lot of help from a talking cat—she decides to show the witch who's boss.

Sources: Earwig and the Witch film's website, Comic Natalie