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Studio Ghibli, known for the movies “Spirited Away” and “Howl's Moving Castle”, was announced to be releasing a new animation film, supervised by Miyazaki Hayao and directed by his son, Goro. Titled “Aya to Majo”, the movie is set to broadcast on NHK channels in winter 2020.

“Aya to Majo” is an adaptation of the children's novel “Earwig and the Witch” by Diana Wynne Jones, who also wrote the book that served as the base for “Howl's Moving Castle”, deemed by Miyazaki himself as a “special creation”.
Fond of the novel, Miyazaki Hayao decided to make it into a film, taking on the supervising role in the planning of the production, while his son Miyazaki Goro assumed the direction.

The story follows Aya, a girl who grows up without knowing that her true identity is a witch. The plot starts unfolding when one day, she is adopted by a mysterious household, where she meets another witch who is mean to her.
It will be the first time that Studio Ghibli will be producing a CGI feature-length animation. The producer Suzuki Toshio released a brief comment in light of the announcement. “Aya to Majo” is set to be broadcast on NHK channels in winter 2020.

[Suzuki Toshio, Producer]
As of right now, the single biggest worry in many people's minds is what will happen to the world after Corona. It is a thing that will for sure affect the television and cinema industry.
During the production, while looking at the storyboard I wondered to myself countless times if “Aya” will be able to withstand its repercussions.
I found a sense of relief however, by realizing that one of Aya's defining traits is her cleverness. And by being clever, one can overcome anything no matter what. If “Pippi Longstocking” is the strongest girl in the world, then this story is about Aya, who’s the smartest girl in the world.
Although hateful, Aya has an adorable side too. And I'm hoping that the audience will fall in love with her.
By the way, her personality is very much alike that of Goro. When someone points that out, he gets a little embarrassed.

（C）2020 NHK, NEP, Studio Ghibli