Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) Kaze no tani no Naushika (original title)

Director:

Hayao Miyazaki

Writers:

Hayao Miyazaki (comic)
Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 March 1984 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | 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:

Valley | Princess | Wind | Far Future | Future

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	...	(voice: English version)
Rosemary Alexander	...	(voice: English version)
Tom Amundsen	...	(voice: English version)
Stephen Apostolina	...	(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	...	Child (voice: English version)
Mitch Carter	...	(voice: English version)
Cam Clarke	...	Prince Milo (voice: English version)
Robert Clotworthy	...	(voice: English version)
David Cowgill	...	(voice: English version)
Wendy Cutler	...	(voice: English version)
Jordan Del Spina	...	(voice: English version) (as Jordan Orr)
Ashley Edner	...	(voice: English version)
Ike Eisenmann	...	(voice: English version)
Jean Gilpin	...	(voice: English version)
Nicholas Guest	...	(voice: English version)
Mark Hamill	...	Mayor of Pejite (voice: English version)
Bridget Hoffman	...	(voice: English version) (as Ruby Marlowe)
Sherry Hursey	...	(voice: English version)
Rif Hutton	...	(voice: English version) (as Riff Hutton)
Tony Jay	...	Narrator (voice: English version)
Shia LaBeouf	...	Asbel (voice: English version)
Alison Lohman	...	Nausicaä (voice: English version)
Tress MacNeille	...	Obaba (voice: English version)
Molly Marlette	...	(voice: English version) (as Molly Keck)
Edie Mirman	...	(voice: English version)
Richard Miro	...	Child (voice: English version)
Edward James Olmos	...	Mito (voice: English version)
Peter Renaday	...	(voice: English version)
Aimee Roldan	...	Child (voice: English version)
Grace Rolek	...	Child (voice: English version)
Ashley Rose	...	Pejite Peasant Girl (voice: English version) (as Ashley Rose Orr)
Chris Sarandon	...	Kurotowa (voice: English version)
Mark Silverman	...	King Jihl (voice)
Ross Simanteris	...	Child (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	...	(voice: English version)

Directed by
Hayao Miyazaki

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

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

Original Music by
Joe Hisaishi

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
Kazuo 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	....	character designer
Kazuo Komatsubara	....	supervising animator
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
Hidekazu Ohara	....	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
Michiyo Yasuda	....	color supervisor
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

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

Production Companies

• Hakuhodo
• Nibariki
• Tokuma Shoten
• Topcraft

Distributors

• Toei Inc. (1984) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2003) (Japan) (DVD)
• Buena Vista International (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Folkets Bio (2009) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Gkids (2011) (USA) (theatrical)
• New World Pictures (1985) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Pan Vision (2009) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Toei Company (1984) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Home Video
• Cinema Mondo (2008) (Finland) (all media)
• First Independent Video (1993) (UK) (VHS) (edited dub)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2009) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East)
• Intercontinental Video (2010) (Hong Kong) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• New World Home Video (1985) (USA) (VHS) (subtitled)
• Optimum Releasing (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Pan Vision (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Vestron Video (1986) (UK) (VHS) (edited dub)
• Walt Disney Home Video (2004) (USA) (video)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)

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:

"Kaze no tani no Naushika" - Japan (original title)
"Warriors of the Wind" - USA (cut version)

MPAA:

Rated PG for violence (edited version) (2004)

Runtime:

117 min | USA:95 min (edited version) (1985)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Poland:(Banned) | Singapore:G | USA:PG (original version) | USA:PG (edited version) (2004) | Germany:12 (uncut version) (2005) | 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:G (blu-ray) | Argentina:Atp

Company:

Hakuhodo

Trivia:

The name Mehve (Nausicaä's glider) is derived from "Möwe", the German word for "seagull".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Nausicaa is underneath the toxic jungle, and she goes under a hole through which the sand passes, Teto disappear from her shoulder, and then in the next shot, he reappears on her.

Quotes:

Kurotowa:[the god warrior's mid section partially disintegrates] It's rotting... it's too soon...

Movie Connections:

Featured in "JesuOtaku Anime Reviews: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (#3.8)" (2012)

THE film to challenge people's assumptions about anime.

I saw the dubbed version years ago and, even in that form, was taken by the imaginative visuals, interesting storyline, and worthwhile characters. I was also impressed by the fact the lead character was a strong young woman, who was a "warrior" yet whose greatest strength lay in her compassion (rather than striving to become a female Rambo.)

I tracked down a copy of the VHS and sent it to my young nieces, pleased with a "kid's" movie which provided a positive role model without being dumb. The movie captivated them as well -- they wore the tape out, and it started them on a lifelong interest in anime. It was they who sent me the uncut subtitled version years later, completing the circle.

Nausicaa is decent science fiction, often breath-taking animation, and unusually *human* characters, and every time I see it I am glad I returned. Everyone should give it a chance, especially those who have written off anime as "round eyed kids and lots of explosions".