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Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

PG   |    |  Animation, Adventure, Fantasy

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) Poster

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

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8.1/10
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86 Metascore

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  • Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
  • Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
  • Alison Lohman and Sumi Shimamoto in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
  • Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
  • Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
  • Alison Lohman in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

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Awards

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Top Rated Movies #217

Reviews & Commentary

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User Reviews
27 February 2005 | silentcheesedude
8
| A Miyazaki masterpiece
Brilliant, captivating, and sometimes just plain awesome are some of things that come to mind while watching yet another one of Miyazaki's epic tales: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds. Deliberately slow-moving at points, yet undeniably exciting in and out of it's action sequences, it's one of those animes (a Japanese animated movie or show) that deserve a second viewing, and a fantastic introduction to anime itself.

Without revealing too much of the plot, it takes us through the life of Nausicaa, a princess of a small village, and her struggles to stop warring nations from destroying an important source that can save the planet. The planet has already gone through a major destruction that nearly wiped out humanity, and their are large insects called ohmu, that guard the source that is spreading through the world.

Miyazaki introduces an empowerment of female characters in his animes, such as Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, and his most recent, Howl's Moving Castle (Hauru no ugoku shiro). The characters are done with style and care, and, in Nausicaa, there is no exception.

It amazes me that this film created some controversy when released, being banned in Poland because of it's depiction of an ecological disaster. Though the movie is obviously fantasy, it turns out that some may consider it a touchy subject. I didn't find any offense whatsoever with anything the movie showed, just a futuristic disaster no doubt caused by man.

Combining fantasy and science-fiction, Nausicaa is nice to look at. It certainly shows it's age when compared to some newer animes, not having the help from high-end computers. Considering it was done in the 80's, Miyazaki's production team did a great job. Little details, backgrounds, gadgets, & animals are drawn slightly better then some Japanese animes from that time.

Keep in mind that my review is based on the Disney release (Feb 2005). It's cleaned up, unedited, with new voices from well known actors that sound great (but I still prefer subtitles). Keep far away from the old version 'Warriors of the Wind', which chops off more then half-hour from the movie.

9 out of 10

Metacritic Reviews

Critic Reviews

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The lack of color fidelity used in certain versions give many people the impression that Naussicaä flies around in a miniskirt with a bare butt. This is not the case, she's wearing pants that happen to be roughly the same color as her skin, and the "skirt" is actually the lower part of her coat.

Quotes

Yupa: An insect did that?
Kushana: Yes, and whatever lucky man becomes my husband shall see far worse than that.

Goofs

During the climactic battle scene, the design of Ohbaba's headband changes several times. It sometimes has gold beads instead of gold-circled turquoise beads on the end-pieces, and alternately terminates with a single or a double line of cord.

Crazy Credits

As the credits roll we see life returning to normal in the valley: Kushana, Kurotowa and the Tolmekian fleet leave peacefully, after Nausicaä has unheard words for Kushana. The denizens of the Valley of the Wind replant trees in the burned-down forest. Lord Yupa and Asbel ride Yupa's beasts to the Toxic Jungle and explore it. When the text "The End" appears on screen we see Nausicaa's discarded helmet in the forest, alongside a green, non-Toxic Jungle sapling.

Alternate Versions

Released in the US and Europe in 1985 as "Warriors of the Wind". This version removed nearly 25 minutes of footage (including the entire opening credits sequence, much of Nausicaa exploring the toxic jungle, Yupa and Nausicaa's discussion in her laboratory, flashbacks of young Nausicaa defending the baby Ohmu, Asbel and Nausicaa's dialogue about the nature of the poisonous forest, several sequences leading up to the God Soldier, and the entirety of the ending credits montage save for the very last shot of Nausicaa's hat). In addition, character names were changed and most of the dialogue was completely rewritten with no regard for the film's plot.

Soundtracks

Saranbande
Written by George Frideric Handel (as G.F. Händel)

Storyline

Plot Summary

Genres

Animation | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Details

Release Date:

25 November 1987

Language

Japanese, English

Country of Origin

Japan, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

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