GKIDS Announces English Dub Cast For Studio Ghibli's 'Earwig And The Witch' - Featuring Richard E. Grant, Kacey Musgraves, Dan Stevens

DIRECTED BY GORO MIYAZAKI
FEATURING THE VOICES OF RICHARD E. GRANT, KACEY MUSGRAVES,
AND DAN STEVENS
WITH ENGLISH-LANGUAGE THEME SONG PERFORMANCE BY KACEY MUSGRAVES

NEW YORK (December 15, 2020) – GKIDS, the acclaimed distributor of multiple Academy Award®-nominated animated features, has announced the voice cast of the upcoming English language dub for legendary animation house Studio Ghibli's latest feature EARWIG AND THE WITCH. The film is directed by Goro Miyazaki (From Up On Poppy Hill, Tales from Earthsea) and produced by studio co-founder Toshio Suzuki, with planning on the feature from his father, Academy Award®-winner Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro). Based on the children's novel “Earwig and the Witch” by Diana Wynne Jones (“Howl's Moving Castle”), the film marks Studio Ghibli's first entirely 3DCG animated feature. An official selection for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, the film is slated to air on NHK in Japan December 30, 2020. GKIDS will release the film in North America in early 2021, and will qualify the film for awards consideration.

The upcoming English language dub film will feature the voices of Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Gosford Park), Kacey Musgraves (“Golden Hour” “Same Trailer Different Park”) and Dan Stevens (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, FX's Legion), as well as Taylor Paige Henderson as “Earwig”. In addition to her debut voice acting role as “Earwig's Mother,” six-time Grammy Award winner Kacey Musgraves will also record the English language version of the film's theme song, “Don't Disturb Me.”

English Voice Cast in Order of Appearance
Earwig's Mother - Kacey Musgraves
Matron - Pandora Colin
Assistant Matron - Alex Cartañá
Earwig - Taylor Paige Henderson
Mr. Jenkins - J.B. Blanc
Custard - Logan Hannan
Phyllis - Summer Jenkins
Sally - Vivienne Rutherford
Cook - Tom Bromhead
Assistant Cook - Eva Kaminsky
Bella Yaga - Vanessa Marshall
The Mandrake - Richard E. Grant
Thomas - Dan Stevens

Additional Voices
J.B. Blanc
Tom Bromhead
Alex Cartañá
Pandora Colin
Summer Jenkins
Eva Kaminsky
Vivienne Rutherford

Theme Song “Don't Disturb Me”
Japanese Version Performed by Sherina Munaf
English Version Performed by Kacey Musgraves

SYNOPSIS
Growing up in an orphanage in the British countryside, Earwig has no idea that her mother had magical powers. Her life changes dramatically when a strange couple takes her in, and she is forced to live with a selfish witch. As the headstrong young girl sets out to uncover the secrets of her new guardians, she discovers a world of spells and potions, and a mysterious song that may be the key to finding the family she has always wanted.

The latest film from Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke) is directed by Goro Miyazaki (From Up On Poppy Hill, Tales from Earthsea) and produced by studio co-founder Toshio Suzuki, with planning on the feature from his father, Academy Award®-winner Hayao Miyazaki. Based on the children's novel “Earwig and the Witch” by Diana Wynne Jones, the film marks Studio Ghibli's first entirely 3DCG animated feature. The film was an official selection for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival.

About GKIDS
GKIDS is the New York-based producer and distributor of award-winning feature animation for both adult and family audiences. Since 2009, the company has scored eleven Best Animated Feature Oscar® nominations with The Secret of Kells in 2010, A Cat in Paris and CHiCO & Rita in 2012, Ernest & Celestine in 2014, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and Song of the Sea in 2015, Boy and the World and When Marnie Was There in 2016, My Life as a Zucchini in 2017, The Breadwinner in 2018, and Mirai in 2019. GKIDS also handles North American distribution for the famed Studio Ghibli library of films, one of the world's most coveted animation collections with titles such as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and more. GKIDS also produces the annual LA-based film festival, ANIMATION IS FILM, which embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of their work to the fullest range of expression of which medium is capable. www.GKIDS.com

About Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli is one of the most acclaimed and influential animation studios in the world, inspiring filmmakers and audiences alike over the last 30 years with beloved stories and breathtaking visuals. Under the brilliance of visionary animation directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and producer Toshio Suzuki, the studio's films are known for timeless classics such as My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Ponyo; and have won countless international awards including an Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature for Spirited Away, as well as four additional Oscar® nominations for Howl's Moving Castle, The Wind Rises, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, and When Marnie Was There. Director and studio co-founder Hayao Miyazaki was separately given an Honorary Award at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Governors Awards in 2014, and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will pay tribute to his artwork with a special exhibit when the Museum opens in April 2021.