It might sound like a far-fetched combination, but actually, one that can work. Kacey Musgraves, a country singer/songwriter, who actually doesn’t fall under what is considered ‘standard’ country is going to be featured in the English language cast of Ghibli’s first-ever all-CGI (common gateway interface) film Earwig and the Witch.
The film was announced in June 2020, and was initially titled Aya and the Witch. According to reports, it will be the famed studio’s first film in six years and is based on the children’s book of the same name by the late Diana Wynne Jones. Musgraves is set to be the voice of the protagonist’s mother.
The singer was really enthusiastic about the project, stating on social media that her “all-time biggest heart dream came true”.
“My dad brought a VHS tape of (My Neighbour) Totoro home when I was about 9, and I’ll never ever forget the comfort and the magic that movie (and many other Ghibli films) have given me,” she wrote.
“To say this was a full-circle, bucket list moment is an understatement.”
Earwig and the Witch is set for release in early 2021, and was initially meant to premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival before the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“After coronavirus, how (does) the world change? That’s the biggest concern for many types of people now,” Studio Ghibli co-founder and producer Toshio Suzuki said in a statement earlier this year.
