Earwig and the Witch

TICKETS

Earwig and the Witch (2020), the first new feature film from Studio Ghibli in six years, breaks new ground as their first foray into 3D CGI animation. Directed by Goro Miyazaki (son of Hayao Miyazaki), Earwig is based on a novel by the British fantasy writer Diana Wynne Jones, author of the original novel of Howl’s Moving Castle. Left as an infant at St. Morwald’s Home for Children, Earwig lives there until, at the age of 10, she is “adopted” by a witch, Bella Yaga, and her companion, the Mandrake. They have “adopted” Earwig so that Bella can have “an extra pair of hands” as she makes her potions, but Bella annoys Earwig by refusing to teach her any magic. More conniving than the typical sweet anime heroine, Earwig fights back and, in the process, discovers the hidden connection between her captors and her missing mother. Special guest speaker Dr. Marc Hairston, Professor of Science at the University of Texas at Dallas, will introduce and discuss the film.

ANIME AT THE MODERN
August 20–22, 2021
 
Join us as we celebrate the Japanese anime genre—films that are visually stunning, richly imaginative, and poetic in their story telling.
 
Screenings will be held in the Modern’s auditorium. Tickets are $10, $8 for Modern members, $7 for Modern Reel People members. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, August 3. Tickets may be purchased in advance online or by visiting the museum’s admission desk. 
Films are curated and introduced by Dr. Marc Hairston.

Dr. Marc Hairston, Professor of Science at the University of Texas at Dallas, is a research scientist using several NASA and Air Force satellites to study space weather—the effect of the sun’s solar winds on Earth’s magnetic field and upper atmosphere. In addition to his science work, Dr. Hairston is also interested in the scholarly study of anime and manga and is on the board of editors of Mechademia, the first English-language academic journal addressing these topics. He regularly teaches courses at the University of Texas at Dallas examining the themes of science fiction and fantasy in anime and manga, specifically focusing on individual anime creators such as Miyazaki, Shinkai, Hosoda, and Takahata. For the past several summers, Dr. Hairston has enjoyed bringing new and classic anime films to his hometown of Fort Worth through the Modern’s annual ANIME AT THE MODERN series.