Kaze no tani no Naushika (1984)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Hayao Miyazaki

Writers:

Hayao Miyazaki (comic)
Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)

Release Date:

June 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Miyazaki's epic masterpiece (2005 Disney release)

Plot:

Warrior/pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet.

Plot Keywords:

Future | Far Future | World | Resurrection | Post Holocaust

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Sumi Shimamoto	...	Nausicaä (voice)
Mahito Tsujimura	...	Jihl (voice)
Hisako Kyôda	...	Oh-Baba (voice)
Gorô Naya	...	Yupa (voice)
Ichirô Nagai	...	Mito (voice)
Kôhei Miyauchi	...	Goru (voice)
Jôji Yanami	...	Gikkuri (voice)
Minoru Yada	...	Niga (voice)
Rihoko Yoshida	...	Teto / Girl C (voice)
Masako Sugaya	...	Girl A (voice)
Takako Sasuga	...	Girl B (voice)
Chika Sakamoto	...	Boy A (voice)
Tarako	...	Boy B (voice)
Yôji Matsuda	...	Asbel (voice)
Mîna Tominaga	...	Rastel (voice)

Also Known As:

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (UK) (USA)
Kaze no tani no Nausicaa
Nausicaä

MPAA:

Rated PG for violence. (edited version)

Runtime:

116 min | USA:84 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG (video) (2005) | UK:U (video) (cut version) (1986) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | South Korea:All | Finland:K-11 | Sweden:11 | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Poland:(Banned) | Singapore:G | USA:PG (cut version) (1985) | USA:PG (uncut version) (2004) | Germany:12 (uncut version) (2005)

Company:

Hakuhodo

Trivia:

Because it was an original story with no promotional tie in to anything, Miyazaki wrote a comic to get it produced.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the "beneath the forest" sequence, Teto disappears and reappears on Nausica?'s shoulder.

Quotes:

Kurotowa: [the god warrior's mid section partially disintegrates] It's rotting... it's too soon...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

A masterpiece, if you can find the real version

First off, let me state emphatically that I'm referring to the REAL version of the film, not the pathetic crippled creature distributed as "Warriors of the Wind" on video. Although I must admit that I first fell in love with the movie in that form, I have now seen the full subtitled version, and I place a hideous curse on those who hacked over 20 minutes from its running time.

Although the incredible "Princess Mononoke" later upstaged this early work in terms of art and detail, in many ways I still prefer "Nausicaa". Its imaginative and well-conceived world puts me in mind of Dune with its feuding factions, its giant creatures, and its strong ecological message. Even with a rather long running time, the story moves very briskly (boiled down as it was from a very lengthy manga series). The music deserves special mention, as well, as it is a large step up from the electronic pop stylings of most anime.

If you can get your hands on a copy of the original version, you'll find it more than worth the effort.