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)
Mugihito	...	Mayor of Pejite (voice)
Akiko Tsuboi	...	Rastel's mother (voice)
Yoshiko Sakakibara	...	Kushana (voice)
Iemasa Kayumi	...	Kurotowa (voice)
Tetsuo Mizutori	...	Commando (voice)
Takeki Nakamura	...	Pejite citizen (voice)
Takako Ôta	...	Pejite girl (voice)
Bin Shimada	...	Pejite citizen (voice)
Shinji Nomura	...	Torumekia soldier (voice)
Hisako Ayuhara	...	Boy (voice)
Hôchû Ôtsuka	...	Torumekia soldier (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Newell Alexander	...	Additional voices (voice: English version)
Rosemary Alexander	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Tom Amundsen	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Stephen Apostolina	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version) (as Steve Apostolina)
Emily Bauer	...	Lastelle (voice: English version)
Jeff Bennett	...	Gikuri (voice: English version)
Jodi Benson	...	Lastelle's Mother (voice: English version)
Paul Butcher	...	Children's Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Mitch Carter	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Cam Clarke	...	Prince Milo (voice: English version)
Robert Clotworthy	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
David Cowgill	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Wendy Cutler	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Ashley Edner	...	Children's Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Ike Eisenmann	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Jean Gilpin	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Nicholas Guest	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Mark Hamill	...	Mayor of Pejite (voice: English version)
Bridget Hoffman	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version) (as Ruby Marlowe)
Sherry Hursey	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Rif Hutton	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version) (as Riff Hutton)
Tony Jay	...	Narrator (2004) (voice: English version)
Shia LaBeouf	...	Asbel (voice: English version)
Alison Lohman	...	Nausicaä (voice: English version)
Tress MacNeille	...	Obaba (voice: English version)
Molly Marlette	...	Children's Voices (2004) (voice: English version) (as Molly Keck)
Edie Mirman	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Richard Miro	...	Children's Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Edward James Olmos	...	Mito (voice: English version)
Jordan Orr	...	Children's Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Peter Renaday	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Aimee Roldan	...	Children's Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Grace Rolek	...	Children's Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Ashley Rose	...	Pejite Peasant Girl (2004) (voice: English version) (as Ashley Rose Orr)
Chris Sarandon	...	Kurotowa (voice: English version)
Mark Silverman	...	King Jihl (voice)
Ross Simanteris	...	Children's Voices (2004) (voice: English version)
Patrick Stewart	...	Lord Yupa (voice: English version)
James Arnold Taylor	...	Muzu (voice: English version)
Uma Thurman	...	Kushana (voice: English version)
Frank Welker	...	Gol (voice: English version)
Lynnanne Zager	...	Additional Voices (2004) (voice: English version)

Directed by
Hayao Miyazaki

Writing credits
Hayao Miyazaki		(comic)
Hayao Miyazaki		(screenplay)

Produced by
Rick Dempsey	....	producer
Tohru Hara	....	executive producer
Michio Kondô	....	executive producer
Ned Lott	....	associate producer
Isao Takahata	....	producer
Yasuyoshi Tokuma	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Joe Hisaishi

Cinematography by
Mark Henley		(English version)
Hideshi Kyonen

Film Editing by
Naoki Kaneko
Tomoko Kida
Shôji Sakai		(as Shôji Saka)

Casting by
Ned Lott

Art Direction by
Mitsuki Nakamura		(as Mitsuyoshi Nakamura)

Production Management
David Candiff	....	post-production manager

Sound Department
Petra Bach	....	supervising adr editor
Randy Coppinger	....	adr recordist
Tom E. Dahl	....	sound re-recording mixer
Doc Kane	....	adr mixer
William Komar	....	adr recordist
Kazutoshi Satou	....	sound effects editor
Shigeharu Shiba	....	sound director

Animation Department
Hideaki Anno	....	animator
Kuzuo Ebisawa	....	background artist
Tadashi Fukuda	....	animator
Taidô Hanafusa	....	inbetween artist
Yoshiyuki Hane	....	animator
Takanori Hayashi	....	animator
Umanosuke Iida	....	inbetween artist
Junko Ikeda	....	animator
Kazuhiro Ikeda	....	inbetween artist
Kôji Iwai	....	inbetween artist
Megumi Kagawa	....	animator (as Ai Kagawa)
Yoshinori Kanada	....	animator
Kazuhiro Kinoshita	....	background artist
Kazuyuki Kobayashi	....	animator
Kazuo Komatsubara	....	animation director
Kazuo Komatsubara	....	character designer
Noriko Kondô	....	inbetween artist
Kitaro Kosaka	....	animator
Yôichi Kotabe	....	animator
Mahiro Maeda	....	inbetween artist
Takayo Mizutani	....	inbetween artist
Osamu Nabeshima	....	animator
Kazuhisa Nagai	....	inbetween artist
Takashi Nakamura	....	animator
Yoshiko Nakamura	....	inbetween artist
Kuniko Nishimura	....	background artist
Toshio Nozaki	....	background artist
Shuichi Obara	....	animator
Tomihiko Okubo	....	assistant animator
Shunji Saida	....	animator
Kiyoko Saitô	....	inbetween artist
Daijirô Sakamoto	....	inbetween artist
Taira Sameki	....	inbetween artist
Yoshiko Sasaki	....	inbetween artist
Sachiko Tada	....	inbetween artist
Yumiko Taguchi	....	inbetween artist
Sachie Takahashi	....	inbetween artist
Noboru Takano	....	animator
Tsukasa Tannai	....	animator
Shôji Tomiyama	....	animator
Takashi Watanabe	....	animator
Yukari Watanabe	....	inbetween artist
Junko Yano	....	inbetween artist
Yasushi Yazawa	....	inbetween artist
Masahiro Yoshida	....	assistant animator
Tadakatsu Yoshida	....	animator
Masaki Yoshizaki	....	background artist

Editorial Department
Cory Hansen	....	post-production coordinator
Fukuo Suzuki	....	color supervisor
Michiyo Yasuda	....	color supervisor

Other crew
Cindy Davis Hewitt	....	adaptation: English version
Rick Dempsey	....	dialogue director
Hiroshi Morie	....	planner: Nausicaa Production Committee
Hideo Ogata	....	planner: Nausicaa Production Committee
Atsushi Okumoto	....	planner: Nausicaa Production Committee
Tatsumi Yamashita	....	planner: Nausicaa Production Committee

Production Companies

• Hakuhodo
• Studio Ghibli
• Tokuma Shoten
• Topcraft

Distributors

• Toei Inc. (1984) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2003) (Japan) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Video
• Buena Vista International (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Cinema Mondo (2008) (Finland) (all media)
• New World Pictures (1985) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Optimum Releasing (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Toei Company (1984) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Home Video (2004) (USA) (video)

Other Companies

• AIC  animation photography
• Anime Friend  animation photography
• DOGA Productions  animation support
• Hadashi Productions  animation support
• Kusama Art Ltd.  animation support
• Omnibus Promotion  sound production
• Studio 2001  cooperation
• Takagu Atelier  titles
• Toei Kagaku  film developing
• World Wildlife Fund  recommended by

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 Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | 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:

The "Nausicaans" from Star Trek: The Next Generation were so named because the Star Trek writers were big fans of Japanese manga and anime, and Nausicaa in particular.

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

Nausicaä: It's so beautiful. It's hard to believe these spores could kill me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

A Masterpiece of Animated Cinema

Director Hayao Miyazaki won a place in my heart after I saw his 2001 film Spirited Away. I'm in no position to claim to be an expert on Miyazaki (I've only seen three of his films), nor am I really a big fan of Japanese animation; but I can safely say that Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is one of the very best animated films I have ever seen. The beauty of the animation is stunning, with its close attention to detail--every frame is constructed as a work of art--and the story is enthralling. As with other Miyazaki films, the majority of characters are much more three-dimensional that you typically get in Western animated features, and nearly all of them aren't exactly what they seem to be.

Nausicaä, which is based on Miyazaki's gargantuan Manga series, is set in the distant future, after fires destroyed much of the earth. The world is being consumed by the Sea of Decay, a toxic forest that spreads through airborne spores and is protected by giant insects called ohmu. The Valley of the Wind is one of the last pure places on earth, and its Princess, Nausicaä, is a strong-willed yet free-spirited young woman seeking to solve the mystery of the Sea of Decay. A nearby nation, which claims to have harnessed the power that allowed humans to rule the earth a thousand years before, takes over after a plane carrying a mysterious living cargo crashes in the valley. What follows in the film is a struggle, not of good versus evil, but of man versus nature. The story is complex, as is its message, and Miyazaki has ingeniously spun deep complexities into the animated characters: what look like foes may not be, and what look like friends may be a bit more dangerous.

The animation is colorful, sweeping, expansive, and beautiful, as are the plot and characters. There is an immediacy to the story that makes a big emotional impact and makes us question how we handle our position in nature. As one of the characters in the film asks, have humans become but a tribe destined to be swallowed by the Sea of Decay? It is ultimately a film about compassion in the face of violence and war, which is what makes it so different from Western features.

Disney's recent DVD release is excellent. The film can be watched either in the original Japanese audio or Pixar's dub with Patrick Stewart and Uma Thurman, and there are separate subtitles for each language track--a literal one (hallelujah!) for the Japanese track, and a more closed-captions style set for the English track. The film is so stunning in the Japanese that I have never considered watching the dub, though a fellow film buff has said that it is "not so bad." After this film was released in the US in the 1980s in a completely mangled version called Warriors of the Wind, Miyazaki suspended all US rights of all his other films until the distributor would honor the stipulation that they be released without any editing. The fact that Disney, which is known for watering down nearly everything it touches, has done this with such a non-Western-style movie is amazing.