Tales from Earthsea (2006)
"Gedo senki" (original title)

Something bizarre has come over the land. The kingdom is deteriorating. People are beginning to act strange... What's even more strange is that people are beginning to see dragons, which ... See full summary »

Director:

Goro Miyazaki

Writers:

Ursula K. Le Guin (novel), Goro Miyazaki (screenplay),

Stars:

Jun'ichi Okada, Willem Dafoe, Timothy Dalton

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jun'ichi Okada	...	Arren (voice)
Aoi Teshima	...	Theru (voice)
Bunta Sugawara	...	Haitaka (voice)
Yûko Tanaka	...	Cob (voice)
Teruyuki Kagawa	...	Hare (voice)
Jun Fubuki	...	Tenar (voice)
Takashi Naitô	...	Hazia dealer (voice)
Mitsuko Baishô	...	The Mistress (voice)
Yui Natsukawa	...	The Queen (voice)
Kaoru Kobayashi	...	The King (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jeff Bennett	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Susanne Blakeslee	...	Additional Voices (voice) (as Suzanne Blakeslee)
Kathryn Cressida	...	Additional Voices (voice) (as Kat Cressida)
Willem Dafoe	...	Cob (voice)
Timothy Dalton	...	Ged / Sparrowhawk (voice)

Storyline

Something bizarre has come over the land. The kingdom is deteriorating. People are beginning to act strange... What's even more strange is that people are beginning to see dragons, which shouldn't enter the world of humans. Due to all these bizarre events, Ged, a wandering wizard, is investigating the cause. During his journey, he meets Prince Arren, a young distraught teenage boy. While Arren may look like a shy young teen, he has a severe dark side, which grants him strength, hatred, ruthlessness and has no mercy, especially when it comes to protecting Teru. For the witch Kumo this is a perfect opportunity. She can use the boy's "fears" against the very one who would help him, Ged.

---

Plot Keywords:

dragon | foreign language adaptation | earthsea | name in title | anime | 

---

Taglines:

There was a time when humans and dragons were one. [USA release]

---

Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Fantasy

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violent images

Details

Official Sites:

Disney [us] Official site [jp]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

29 July 2006 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Tales from Earthsea

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$20,614 (USA) (13 August 2010)

Gross:

$48,043 (USA) (27 August 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, DENTSU Music And Entertainment, GNDHDDT

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX DTS-ES

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Goro Miyazaki was 39 at the start of production the same age his father Hayao Miyazaki at the time of his first film.

---

Quotes

Tenar: Leave her alone! She's done nothing to you!

---

Connections

Featured in New York, I Love You (2009)

User Reviews

A very solid debut from a man standing in a gigantic fatherly shadow.

Better than I expected, a fantastic debut from Goro Miyazaki (son of Hayao Miyazaki) and a worthy addition to Ghibli's consistently brilliant catalog. It follows the prince Arren, as he runs from his kingdom and encounters a wizard named Ged. From here, he is drawn into a classic good versus evil battle. Goro Miyazaki's film bares a lot of similarities to his father's films, but lacks some of the whimsical nature that makes Hayao's movies so distinct. Tales from Earthsea is a more subdued film than films such as Spirited Away and Porco Rosso, and doesn't really hit the emotional or imaginative heights that Hayao Miyazaki's films do. But this isn't always a bad thing - It's simply Goro's style, and this element makes his film a more traditional, perhaps more sensible narrative. Goro has taken a somewhat conservative route with this film - visually and audibly it's classic Ghibli, full of lush environments and excellent animation. In terms of narrative, it carries classic Ghibli (particularly Miyazaki) hallmarks - epic battles of good and evil, cathartic journeys, and the hospitality and grace of ordinary people - but it also has more of a traditional narrative. Good and evil are, unlike many his father's films, clearly defined, and the events of the film lack the extravagance (and imagination) of Hayao's films. It's a wise move - rather than try to re-invent the wheel, Goro has made a wonderfully solid and cohesive film.

To simply compare Goro Miyazaki (and his film) to his father is unfair and sells a great movie short - he has obviously inherited a tremendous flair for storytelling, and with Ghibli's animation team behind him, has created a fantastic debut film. There's another Miyazaki in town - and i can't wait to see where he goes next.