Eager to learn how to concoct magic potions and spells, the scoundrel in “Earwig and the Witch” must win over her monstrous adoptive parents. Studio Ghibli’s generally subpar first foray into 3DCG feature animation is an adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones’ British children’s book directed by the cofounder’s son Gorô Miyazaki (“From Up on Poppy Hill”).
Contained in scope and slim in dramatic depth, the movie (originally made for Japanese television) hinges on a mischievous girl with horn-like ponytails, Earwig, a.k.a. Ericka (Taylor Henderson). Despite her efforts to remain at the orphanage where she’s been since infancy, she is taken in as “an extra pair of hands” by Bella Yaga (Vanessa Marshall), a grumpy witch, and the Mandrake (Richard E. Grant), a humanoid creature and prolific writer.