Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

[風の谷のナウシカ]

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Sumi Shimamoto, Goro Naya, Yoji Matsuda

Synopsis:
The princess of the Valley of the Wind must lead her people amid the advancing Sea of Decay and occupation by a foreign military power.

Impressions:
While not technically the first Ghibli movie, the filmmakers behind it would use this film as the springboard for Studio Ghibli's creation. I have somewhat complicated feelings about this movie. Because my formative experience with the story came via the manga, I use that as my point of reference. There was more time to develop the story there, which makes the movie seem underdeveloped by comparison. I really shouldn't hold it against the movie, but the story feels a bit rushed. Don't get me wrong. This is an outstanding film and a major work in the history of animation. A lot of imagination went into the worldbuilding and the design of the creatures and vehicles. Nausicaä is a compelling protagonist and Sumi Shimamoto shows off a lot of range in her portrayal of the character. The score by Joe Hisaishi has more synth than you would expect if you're more familiar with his later works, but it's still quite good. It's also worth noting that the God Warrior sequence was animated by Hideaki Anno, who would definitely be drawing inspiration from that later in his career. While I feel more justice is done to the story in the manga, this movie definitely belongs in your collection.

Rating:
Own It