Though not quite as accomplished as some of the legendary Studio Ghibli’s finest works, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind remains a triumph in animation that helped to put the studio and director Hayao Miyazaki on the map.
Composer Joe Hisaishi provides a typically sweeping and masterful score complimenting the epic nature of the story which tells the tale of Nausicaä, a princess in a post-apocalyptic land who must stop the war-prone Tolmekia Kingdom from destroying the expansive Toxic Jungle which is full of giant, and highly dangerous insects.
Containing beautiful animation, Nausicaä is action-packed, imaginative and contains a great heroine in its title character. It also carries a growing intensity which develops into a horror-like quality by the films climax which may prove too scary for younger audiences but further reinforces the intelligent and ahead-of-its-time environmental concerns that has now become a staple of the great studio’s work.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), directed by Hayao Miyazaki, is released on Blu-ray disc and DVD in the UK by Studio Canal, Certificate PG.
