Escaflowne: The Movie (2000)

A grim retelling of the television series "The Vision of Escaflowne".

Directors:

Kazuki Akane, Yoshiyuki Takei (co-director)

Writers:

Ryôta Yamaguchi (script), Kazuki Sekine

Stars:

Shin'ichirô Miki, Jôji Nakata, Maaya Sakamoto

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maaya Sakamoto	...	Hitomi Kanzaki (voice)
Tomokazu Seki	...	Van Fanel (voice)
Jôji Nakata	...	Folken Fanel (voice)
Mayumi Izuka	...	Yukari / Sora (voice) (as Mayumi Iizuka)
Minami Takayama	...	Dilandau Albatou (voice)
Kôji Tsujitani	...	Jajuka (voice)
Shin'ichirô Miki	...	Allen Schezar (voice)
Ikue Ôtani	...	Merle (voice)
Nobuyuki Hiyama	...	Oruto (voice)
Hisako Kyôda	...	Old Woman (voice) (as Naoko Kyoda)
Kappei Yamaguchi	...	Shesta (voice)
Caitlin Glass	...	Hitomi Kanzaki (FUNimation dub) (voice)
Aaron Dismuke	...	Van Fanel (FUNimation dub) (voice)
Vic Mignogna	...	Dune / Folken Fanel (FUNimation dub) (voice)
Jad Saxton	...	Yukari Uchida (FUNimation dub) (voice)

Storyline

High school student Hitomi Kanzaki, depressed and despondent, wishes to disappear from her world. Her wishes are heard in the alternate world of Gaea where a battle for absolute control is raging! Magically, Hitomi is suddenly transported to this other world and is bestowed with the power to decide its ultimate fate!

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Plot Keywords:

multiple english dubs | one word title | teenage girl | good versus evil | tragic villain | 

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Taglines:

A place you've never seen. A story you'll never forget.

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Genres:

Adventure | Animation | Drama | Fantasy | Romance | Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for strong animated violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

The stadium where Hitomi first meets Folken and is drawn into the world of Gaia is modeled on the historic and famous Kasumigaoka National Olympic Stadium (Kokuritsu Kasumigaoka Rikujo Kyogijo) in the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo, where the 1964 Summer Olympics were held. Some of the most distinctive elements in the stadium, such as the colored rows of seats, large scoreboard, lights, and field track are directly visible in the film. The stadium was demolished in 2015 to make way for a new stadium constructed for the 2020 Olympics. Another visible Shinjuku landmark in the film is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which Hitomi sees from the train while she is out shopping with her friend Yukari.

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Quotes

Van: [to Folken, struggling to get up] Even if...
Hitomi Kanzaki: [worried] Van.
Van: You destroy all of Gaea... your sadness will not go away.
Folken: How would you know?

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Connections

Remake of Escaflowne (1996)

User Reviews

Good as far as anime goes

I'm a casual anime fan, someone who doesn't know the intricate plots and history of the genre as much as I supposedly should. I think that's a good thing.

So often I watch anime that's been hailed as the best thing since sliced bread, and compared to other more mainstream (read: non-anime) features, IMO it doesn't even come close. I think fans of sub-genres tend to be blind to real critique of their favorite subjects, because they need to justify their excessive interest in it.

That being said, you still need to compare like-genre films to one another - at least to some degree, and I think in this case Escaflowne does a great job standing up to its competitors.

Someone had previously mentioned that the faces in this feature were rather badly drawn, and I tend to agree - it's odd, because the quality of the rest of the scenes/ scenery, is relatively good. The plot in this film, as in most anime is VERY disconnected, with whole chunks missing at parts. Rewinding certainly helps when watching this. However, as with most good anime, even if there is some plot missing, the end message is fairly clear. The score is amazing. It's rare you hear this kind of music in "regular" movies, much less an animated feature.

In general, I would recommend watching this on DVD, as you will want to rewind at some points, and try to understand certain elements, and/or watch the fast scenes a few more times.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Website

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

24 June 2000 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Escaflowne: The Movie

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,692, 27 January 2002

Gross USA:

$94,060

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$94,060

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bandai Visual Company, Bones, Sunrise

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1