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Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Director: Hayao Miyazaki Number of Items: 2 Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen Format: Color, Widescreen, Animated Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Running Time: 118 minutes Studio: Buena Vista Home Vid Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2005-02-22 Buy from Amazon |
 "A Breathtaking Ecological Animated Classic"My first introduction to "Nausicaa" was back in the late nineties when I was still in high school; I stumbled upon the first volume of the manga in a bookstore, and prompted by my friend, picked it up and bought it. Unlike so many other Japanese graphic novels available at the time (and now), "Nausicaa" was neither perverted fare nor a gratuitous bloodbath. Instead, it told the story of a future princess, gentle and vibrant, who dealt as empathetically with the poisoned earth as she did the animals and giant insects populating the post-apocalyptic planet. Amidst warring kingdoms and powerful leaders--all who held incomplete knowledge of their greed compounding the planet's decay--Nausicaa fought personal battles as she unknowingly fulfilled ancient prophecy, in the end emerging as her people's savior. While the manga as published by Viz Comics covered four detailed volumes, the animated version of Nausicaa's story essentially ended after the first (with a few plot points mixed around in between). "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" is one of Hayao Miyazaki's greatest animated feats--if not truly his very best--and the English rendition of his classic as released by Disney is really rather good. (I must admit, I was surprised by that fact; I often find Disney manages to taint many of their otherwise excellent imported Japanese films.) Patrick Stewart, Uma Thurman, and Mark Hamill are among the star-studded vocal cast that brings "Nausicaa" to life in the English-speaking world, and complementary documentaries and interviews pepper the extensive DVD options of the two-disc set. And it must be said that Joe Hisashi's soundtrack transcends the movie in either language--an excellent composition just detached enough to bring Nausicaa's post-apocalyptic world to life. In conclusion, if anyone is a newcomer to anime, "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" is a must-see. Aside from being relatively family-friendly, it has an engrossing storyline; a strong and human female lead; beautiful animation; and expressive vocal talents backed by an amazing score. It deserves a place of honor amongst all other films, animated or otherwise. "A treasure comes out of the mist..."I found this masterpiece like so many of us in the United States badly chopped up and limping from the ungainly cuts made to the original vision of Master Miyazaki. That being said I carried the love of this piece with me for twenty years, always hearing from those who had seen the original Japanese version about how lacking it was when it was the Warriors of the Wind. I did not care, this vision of the tenuous and hostile future was populated by the perfect heroine for a 12 year old girl who had never seen a truly strong and dedicated female role model in any anime until Nausicaa herself. When Disney did the only honorable thing it could and released this polished original I bought it the first day it was available, I knew that I had to have it. I was expecting to still love it the same as I did when I was a young girl, but now as a mother and a grown woman. I find that love Nausicaa even more. The scenes that had been brutally removed from Warriors in the Wind took my breath away. The animation is timeless, no matter how advanced we become, it will always be beautiful. The new voices for the characters work as well, James Patrick Stewart is unmistakable as Lord Yupa, the other cast members do a wonderful job of conferring emotion and the proper spirit of the film. This is one that must be bought now, who knows how long Disney will allow it to be out so snap it up. Enjoy and treasure this wonderful work for a long time to come. Tatianna "Hayao Miyazaki=Pure Perfection"Simply put, this is one of the best Anime movies I've seen to date. The story is wonderful, the graphics are top notch, the voices match the characters perfectly, and the ending is so incredible that it will make you stop and think. If your into Anime, this is a definite must have. If your not into Anime, this is a definite must have. Even with its PG rating I will say that this is a fantastic movie for family time. You'll laugh, you might shed a tear, and you will be in for a shock once the enemy is revealed. I can't stress this enough, do yourself a favor and buy this movie. You won't be disappointed. "Absolute masterpiece!"Set in the post apocalyptic era of Earth, the world is dying with only some civilization left as there is war between the human race and powerful giantic insects who protect the toxic jungles called "Ohmu". It's up to a lovely but spirited warrior princess named "Nausicca" with a band of companions have to stop the war or else Earth will have another holocaust. A spectacular and unique animated fantasy Sci-fi epic from Hayao Miyazaki, one of the world's greatest animation directors has created his second best movie with "Princess Mononoke" being number one and "Spirited Away" being third. This is story done in the style of Frank Herbert's Dune novels with Heavy Metal magazine and tons of gorgeous artwork, a delightful soundtrack, adventure, and a story about the eco system in a non-preachful way, it originally was a box office smash in it's native country but did came here in the U.S. in 1986 from New World Pictures in a heavily edited badly dubbed version called "Warriors of the Wind" but this re-issue of Miyazaki's best movie from the 80's now gets a more proper improved treatment than "Warriors of the Wind" ever did with now the voices of Uma Thurman, Alison Lohman, Uma Thurman, Patrick Stewart, Chris Sarandon, Mark Hamil and Edward James Olmos. The 2-Disc Set is just excellent as the movie itself, digitally remastered with picture & Sound quality by THX, featurettes, Japanese TV Spots & Trailers, and the second disc contains a full length storyboard presentation. Buy this DVD for your DVD animation collection, i guranteed you won't be sorry that you have this movie. Also recommended: Heavy Metal, The Last Unicorn, The Secret of NIMH, The Dark Crystal, Rock & Rule, Fist of the North Star (1986 animated version), The Professional: Golgo 13, Akira, Ghost in The Shell 1 & 2, Vampire Hunter D ( 1985), Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust, Wizards, Mad Max Trilogy, Death Race 2000, Total Recall, Starship Troopers, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Transformers: The Movie, G.I. Joe The Movie, The original Star Wars Trilogy and Ninja Scroll. "totally awesome"awesome but whats up with, at least in the begining, her dress blows up and shows shes not wearing any underwear and you can see her but, i dont mind but its strange |
