A little more disturbance would have been just the thing.

Earwig and the Witch never finds the right tone, never really develops its characters, and never reaches the high standard of a Studio Ghibli production. It's profoundly skippable.

It's clearly aimed to appeal to kids more than grown-ups, but there is just the right amount of spark to hold everyone's attention.

This is a prime example of what not to do with an animated movie. It might look good, but it needs to have a concrete story, which is missing from 'Earwig and the Witch.'