Customer Reviews

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind [Blu-ray + DVD]

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow! I've finally got to see the uncut version of Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind, the very first masterpiece by the great Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli! Sore wa Sugoi Desu Yo! (Japanese: It's so awesome and amazing!)

Everything is so awesome; the soundtrack, the voicework, the story, the action scenes, the art work, and every thing else is so perfect, and well done too. Everything has been refined to the state-of-the-art level, which is what Studio Ghibli has been famous for. What's more, the message for peace, perseverance and prosperity, along with harmony and enviornmental protection and balance, have really touched deeply in my heart right from the start.

Overall, I'd like to say "Doomo Arigato Gozaimasu" to the great Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli for their great masterpiece, and shall give them 5 out of 5 stars for outstanding performance!

I had this movie in DVD format... with no french language on it and I decided to upgrade it to BLu-Ray, especially because the studio decided to put the French language track on the blu-ray. Well I was not disspointed! The movie is magnificient and it's a must own for all the Miyasaki-Ghibli fans!

Amazing movie for entire family! My 3 1/2 daughter set still watching the movie! When it finished, the first word she said was - again!

Quelle souvenir d'enfance j'ai regardé ce film dans les année 80.
J'ai acheté ce film deux fois car la première fois n'avait pas de version francaise.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a true classic of animation. It had the same importance to Studio Ghibli that Snow White had to Disney. Both of them were the templates on which the future of their companies would be built. Which is actually quite fitting since Hayao Miyazaki, the co-founder of Studio Ghibli is considered to be the Walt Disney of Japan.

Here in this movie made back in 1984 are all the hallmarks of Studio Ghibli that would be incorporated into all their future productions. Everything from the fluid animation of the plucky heroine, the gentle understated story telling through to the music and the high quality animation; time after time I noticed something that would later appear slightly expanded in their newer productions. But this is where they first pulled it all together. Nausicaa is an absolute must for all lovers of Hayao Miyazaki or of japanese animation!

As for the movie itself, this one is a little more darker and more serious than his lighter works like Totoro or Kiki's Delivery Service. Set in a post-apocalyptic world in which mankind is on the verge of extinction; it's tone is closer to his seminal masterwork, Princess Mononoke. (Considered one of the greatest animated films of all time!) However, unlike Mononoke, I think any kid who can handle The Terminator or Transformers shouldn't have any problem with Nausicaa. Probably even younger if mommy's there to hold them. It does make a great family film.

As for the bluray itself; this is definitely the way to go. A film of this importance deserves to be seen at it's very best and Disney delivers bringing out everything that was in the original and that's an amazing amount for an animated film. As for the audio (English, French, Japanese), it is essentially the same for both BD and dvd as the movie was originally made without surround sound and there's only so much you can do with a simple stereo track. However the crisp 1080P video will more than make up for the audio.

A true classic and masterpiece of early animation. I give it 5 stars.

J. A.

It was very hard to choose my top Miyazaki film, but I choose Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds. At first, I had never seen the film, until I had bought the Disney 2-Disc DVD of the film. I thought the dub-casting was excellent, with Alison Lohman as Nausicaa; Shia LaBeouf as Asbel; Patrick Stewart as Lord Yupa, and Uma Thurman as Kushana.

The film is based on a manga made by Miyazaki himself. Set in the year 2984, a thousand years in the future, when global war had incinerate the Earth. The Earth has become an unrecognizable place. Large parts of the world have been swallowed up by forests of poisonous fungi. The remaining humans live near the fungus and it's monstrous insectoid inhabitants, trying to prevent it's spread. One of the human kingdoms, the peaceful Valley of Wind, loves its gentle Princess Nausicaä and her father the king, but their peace is about to be broken, as they are swallowed up in the machinations of their larger, warmongering neighbours. However, Nausicaä has hidden potential, and may yet change the fate of the world.

It's truly Miyazaki's epic masterpiece, and also a good film to show us the seriousness of global war and our environment.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Animation, Action, Adventure)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Starring Alison Lohman, Patrick Stewart, Uma Thurman and Shia LaBeouf

Disney / Buena Vista | 1984 | 118 min | Rated PG | Released Mar 08, 2011

Video:
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio:
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0

Subtitles:
English, English SDH, French

Discs:
50GB Blu-ray Disc
DVD copy

The Film 5/5

When it comes to animation, my favorite director by far is Hayao Miyazaki. If you have read my Top 20 animated list, you'll see how often his name appears. Studio Ghibli has been responsible for many good films, but Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was actually released in 1984, just before the studio was founded. It remains Miyazaki's most ambitious work because of its epic scope.

Nausicaä is set approximately a thousand years in the future when pollution levels have threatened to destroy life on the planet. The land is dominated by the Toxic Jungle which is filled with poisonous plants. The jungle is protected by giant insects and other creatures.

We meet Nausicaä (Lohman) early in the film when she discovers a discarded ohm shell. Ohms are giant creatures which seems wiser than any humans they may encounter. Nausicaä recovers one of the parts of the shell and takes it home. Ohms are not always calm and their eyes grow red with rage when they are angry. Nausicaä helps save Lord Yupa (Stewart), a master swordsman, from an enraged ohm.

Yupa knows Nausicaä well and has a present for her; a small fox squirrel which she names Teto. Her first encounter with the creature shows us her true nature. She says that there is nothing to fear, but the fox-squirrel bites her. She makes no move, but simply repeats that there is nothing to fear. It stops biting and licks the wound. It's such a touching scene and gives a hint at how Nausicaä interacts with strangers later in the story. She's an easy character to love.

Nausicaä's life is peaceful. She lives in the Valley of the Winds where everyone works together in harmony farming the land. Although her father is the king, princess Nausicaä doesn't put herself above other people. She lends a hand repairing machinery or whatever else is needed. Her people love her; especially the children. For any parent thinking of showing the film to their children, Nausicaä is a good role model.

The film has quite a few battle sequences, but they are brief and involve misguided people who think their causes are just. I think Miyazaki is showing us what could happen if we continue to pollute and exploit the planet without giving any thought to the future. It's a common theme in his stories and is more prominent here than in later films.

Unlike any other animated film I have seen, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind shows us a vast world. We explore some of it and see Nausicaä discover secrets about the world and the creatures inhabiting it. She has a way with animals and insects and seeks solutions that avoid killing any kind of creature. She seems to empathize and realize how to stop seemingly wild creatures from attacking. People around her are frequently amazed by her actions.

The film shows the futility of war and the power people have to change their lives by thinking about their course of action. So much happens in the two hour running time that the film seems to move at a breakneck pace. There is always something happening, whether it's action or a discovery of some kind.

Joe Hisaishi is again responsible for the music, and it's one of the best scores he has ever produced. There's a particular scene with a piece of music using children's voices which has me in tears every time. I'm not sure why, but the music is powerful and fits the scenes perfectly.

I know I haven't revealed much of the story. That's because I want you to discover the secrets for yourself. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind reminds me of scenes in Avatar and Star Wars, but the story is arguably more powerful than both. If you have seen other titles from Hayao Miyazaki, be aware that this contains more adult themes than most. That said, it can and should be enjoyed by the whole family.

Video Quality 4.5/5
If you have seen any of Miyazaki's films, you'll know that his animation style looks nothing like modern studios such as Pixar or Dreamworks. He's an artist in the true sense of the word and the frames of the films look like watercolor paintings. It's been 27 years since the film was released, so the animation style looks a little dated. Some of the supporting characters in crowds won't move, but the overall effect is still wonderful. Disney has delivered another great transfer. Colors improve dramatically over the DVD version. Some scenes look slightly soft, but that's partly due to the animation style. This doesn't look like Up, Ratatouille or Rango, but detail is strong and any Miyazaki fan will be delighted with the result.

Audio Quality 4/5
The film comes with three audio mixes. Disney failed to provide a lossless Japanese option for Ponyo, but purists will be happy to see the Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track included this time. Other versions include English and French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Although a 5.1 mix would have been welcome, I'm not disappointed by the options on offer. Dialogue is clear throughout, while battle scenes pack a considerable punch. Ambient sounds such as wind in the valley come across well, as does Joe Hisaishi's score.

Special Features 3/5

The additional features are split between the BD and the DVD.

As with other Miyazaki films, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind includes the option to view the entire film with the original Japanese storyboards. It's interesting to see how Miyazaki's original sketches developed.

Enter the Lands of Ghibli gives the viewer the option to click on characters from some of the other films. There's not a huge amount of content, but it's nice to see.

Behind the Studio: Creating Nausicaä (12 minutes, HD) - A brief feature which includes thoughts from Miyazaki.

The Birth Story of Studio Ghibli (28 minutes, SD) - A TV documentary from Japan talking about Studio Ghibli's origins.

Behind the Microphone (8 minutes, SD) - The American cast is shown recording some of the scenes and talking about the film.

Original Japanese Trailers and TV Spots (8 minutes, SD)

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind includes a lot of themes and elements that we have come to expect in a Hayao Miyazaki movie, but it's more epic in scope. Like Avatar, this makes me feel like I am stepping onto another world. Unlike Avatar, the dialogue isn't dumb in any way. I like Nausicaä as a character because her intentions are always good. She sees the best in everyone and is a positive force. The whole experience makes the film one I love to revisit and it's always rated among my favorite animated titles. Disney's Blu-ray presentation does the film justice and is highly recommended as a story that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

Overall score 4.5/5

This is definitely one of the better Miyazaki films I've seen. It has just enough action to keep it interesting but not so much as to make it unfriendly to the family. The central theme is similar to other movies in this vein with man being somewhat of a villian destroying and going to war with nature and himself. Of the characters, true to Miyazaki form, there are no definitive 'bad guys' but people driven by their desires. I am always amazed at how much these films can flesh out a character in two hours.. especially the ones that seem 'bad' in the beginning.

In summary, I recommend this film. I own a fair collection of anime and this is one that will not gather dust for too long. If I don't pick it up every now and then, my kids certainly will.

I would recommend this film to any Miyazaki fan. If you've seen Princess Mononoke and liked it, this one is the same sort of story. It's a lot older, so the animation isn't as clean, but it's a good watch none the less.

The first time I watched this, it was subtitled in English. The dubbing of this movie is well done, like all the others brought over by Disney. Patrick Stewart is one of the English voice actors, so it's a real treat.

Of course, if you're not sure about it, rent it. It shouldn't be that difficult to find.

Wow! I've finally got to see the uncut version of Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind, the very first masterpiece by the great Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli! Sugoi Yo! (Japanese: It's so awesome!)

Everything is so awesome; the soundtrack, the voicework, the story, the action scenes, the art work, and every thing else is so perfect, and well done too. Everything has been refined to the state-of-the-art level, which is what Studio Ghibli is famous for. What's more, the message for peace, perseverance and prosperity, along with harmony and enviornmental protection and balance, have really touch my heart right from the start.

Overall, I'd like to say "Doomo Arigato Gozaimasu" to the great Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli for their great masterpiece, and shall give them 5 out of 5 stars for outstanding performance!