Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Encyclopedia
is a 1984 Japanese animated
post-apocalyptic
fantasy adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
, based on his manga
of the same name
. The film stars the voices of Sumi Shimamoto
, Goro Naya
, Yoji Matsuda
, Yoshiko Sakakibara
and Iemasa Kayumi
. The film tells the story of Nausicaä, a young princess of the Valley of the Wind who gets involved into a struggle with Tolmekia, a kingdom who tries to use an ancient weapon to fend off the Ohms. Nausicaä must stop the Tolmekians from killing these insects. The film was released in Japan on March 4, 1984 and was presented by the World Wide Fund for Nature
. While created before Studio Ghibli
was founded, the film is considered to be the beginning of the studio, and is often included as part of the Studio's works, including the Studio Ghibli Collection DVD
s. Among its numerous awards, it won the Animage
Anime Grand Prix prize in 1984.
's ecosystem
, scattered settlements exist throughout the Toxic jungle (Sea of Decay in subtitles and the manga translation), a forest swarming with giant insect
s. Everything in the Toxic Jungle is lethal to humans.
Nausicaä
(Sumi Shimamoto
), a princess
of the Valley of the Wind is a skillful fighter, but also humane and peace-loving. She communicates with the giant insects (Particularly the Ohmu, gigantic, armored, caterpillar
insects who are the most intelligent in the Jungle.) Lord Yupa (Goro Naya
), a wise wandering warrior, is dedicated to finding the legendary "man in blue" who has the power to reunite people and nature. Nausicaä is inspired by Yupa and she explores the Toxic Jungle to help her understand it. She travels long distances by "windriding": flying an advanced jet
assisted glider
.
A struggle among several kingdoms ensues when an airship crashes near the Valley. Nausicaä tries to rescue a wounded girl, who reveals herself as Princess Lastelle (Miina Tominaga
) of Pejite. The airship, from the militaristic
kingdom of Tolmekia, carries an embryo of a Giant Warrior, one of the lethal creatures used in ancient war
. The dying Lastelle tells Nausicaä to destroy the embryo.
The Pejite discovered the embryo, but the more powerful Tolmekia stole it and took Lastelle as a hostage
. The Tolmekians' airship was attacked by insects, causing them to crash. Tolmekians, under the leadership of princess Kushana (Yoshiko Sakakibara
) and her general, Kurotowa (Iemasa Kayumi
), invade the Valley to secure the Warrior embryo. Kushana explains that the Giant Warrior will burn the Toxic Jungle, even though legends warn against this.
Kushana attempts to return to Pejite, along with Nausicaä and several new hostages. Before leaving, Nausicaä reveals to Yupa a hidden garden of jungle plants, which are not toxic because the plants grow in sand and water obtained from a deep, untainted well. Nausicaä explains that the jungle is toxic due to the fact that the soil has been tainted by man, even in the Valley. Since she has to depart, however, she shuts off the water which was keeping the plants alive.
Several Tolmekian airships are attacked and destroyed by a Pejite gunship. Nausicaä, Mito (Ichiro Nagai
) and Kushana escape to a surviving gunship. They crash land in the jungle and Nausicaä communicates with several Ohmus, thereby discovering the pilot of the downed Pejite gunship is still alive. With the help of her glider, Nausicaä rescues the pilot, Asbel (Yoji Matsuda
) of Pejite, the twin brother of Lastelle. However, Nausicaä and Asbel are swallowed by quicksand and end up in a strange, non-toxic world below the jungle. Nausicaä realizes the jungle plants purify the polluted topsoil, producing clean water, which remains hidden underground.
Nausicaä and Asbel return to Pejite, destroyed after insects are lured from the Sea of Decay to attack the occupying Tolmekians. The Pejite survivors, on a single airship, reveal that they will do the same thing in the Valley to recapture the Giant Warrior. The Pejite try to prevent Nausicaä from alerting the Tolmekians, but Asbel helps her flee. While flying home to the Valley, she encounters a herd of enraged Ohmus following a baby Ohmu being used by the Pejites to lure the herd to the Valley. Nausicaä releases the baby Ohmu and gains its trust.
Meanwhile, the Tolmekians try to stop the herd with armored vehicles, but fail. Kushana arrives with the Giant Warrior to stop the Ohmu, but the Warrior is unsuccessful. The Warrior dies during the fight because it was awakened too early from its larval stage.
Nausicaä and the baby Ohmu arrive and are overrun as they attempt to calm the enraged Ohmu. The Ohmus then calm down and use their tentacles to revive Nausicaä. Everyone sees that Nausicaä's dress is stained blue with blood of the baby Ohmu, meaning Nausicaä must be the blue savior sought by Yupa. The film ends with scenes of people and insects living together in peace.
, who later directed Neon Genesis Evangelion. Anno was assigned to draw the challenging God Warrior's attack sequence, which according to Toshio Suzuki is a "high point in the film".
on March 4, 1984, and sold almost a million tickets.
, shown on HBO and released on VHS
. The voice actors and actresses were not informed of the film's plotline and the film was heavily edited
to make it as a children-oriented film. Consequently, part of the film's narrative meaning was lost; some of the environmentalist themes were diluted as was the main subplot of the Ohmu, altered to turn them into aggressive enemies. Most of the characters were renamed (for example, Nausicaä became "Princess Zandra"). The cover for the VHS release featured a cadre of male characters, who are not in the film, riding the resurrected God Warrior—including a still-living Warrior shown briefly in a flashback. It was released around the world under various titles, such as Sternenkrieger (literally "Star Warriors") in Germany. An uncredited Susan Davis provided the voice of the title role, although it was (and often still is) erroneously believed to be June Foray due to the similarity in voices and Asbel, dubbed "Prince Milo" in this version, was voiced by Cam Clarke
.
Many fans of Nausicaä, and Miyazaki himself, express dislike over this version; Miyazaki suggested people should put it "out of their minds." Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki have asked fans to forget its existence and later adopted a strict "no-edits" clause for future foreign releases of its films. On hearing Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein
would try to cut Princess Mononoke
to make it more marketable, one of Studio Ghibli's producers sent an authentic katana
with a simple message: "No cuts".
released the film in Region 2, and the Region 4 DVD is distributed by Madman Entertainment
. A remastered Blu-ray sourced from a 6K filmscan was released on July 14, 2010 in Japan. It includes an uncompressed Japanese LPCM stereo track, an English dub and English subtitles. On October 18, 2010 a Blu-ray version was released in Region 2 by Optimum Home Entertainment. The film was released on Blu-ray in the United States and Canada on March 8, 2011 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.
-shaped machine with folding wing
s. According to the accompanying film book released in Japan, the glider is called , the German
word meaning seagull. An official scale model lists it as having an approximate wingspan
of 5.8 meters (1/20 model measured to be 29 cm), while the design notes indicate it weighs only 12 kg. In 2004, the Japanese-led OpenSky Aircraft Project
began attempts to build a real-life, working personal jet glider based on the glider from the film. Two full-size gliders with no power source carrying the code name M01 and M02, with a half-sized jet-powered remote controlled mock up called moewe 1/2 was built. The designer and tester of the project refused the official endorsement of the project by Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki
, noting that he did not want to cause trouble for them if an accident occurred.
, while the vocal theme song "Kaze no Tani no Naushika" was produced by Haruomi Hosono
(former Yellow Magic Orchestra
member) and sung by Narumi Yasuda. Numerous soundtracks and albums relating to the film have been released.
films. Serialized in Tokuma Shoten
's Animage
magazine, the first chapter was published in February 1982, and the last chapter in March 1994. As can be expected, the story of the manga is far more complex than that of the film. The tale depicted in the film roughly corresponds to only the first quarter of the manga (which is all that had been written at the time the film was produced), with significant differences in plot.
In addition to the plot, there are other significant differences in the story—the characters are more developed and the environmentalist tone is more sophisticated, echoed in the complex worldview of Princess Mononoke
. Nausicaä herself is portrayed as being much more potent, with abilities that are not always explained.
The Nausicaä manga is published in English
by VIZ Media
. Earlier editions of the English manga and fan translations often used the title Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind, omitting the definite article.
.
This was the last video game to be based on a Hayao Miyazaki
product. It has been said that Hayao Miyazaki was displeased at the formula for the game (a shoot 'em up
) and considered it against the peaceful messages of the source material.
It made number 37 on Total Film
's top 50 animated films list.
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
fantasy adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
, based on his manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
of the same name
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (manga)
is a post-apocalyptic manga written and illustrated by acclaimed anime director Hayao Miyazaki. It was serialised intermittently from 1982 to 1994 in Japan...
. The film stars the voices of Sumi Shimamoto
Sumi Shimamoto
, real name , is a veteran Japanese voice actress born on December 8, 1954, in Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from the Toho Gakuen School of Music, she joined Gekidan Seinenza, a theatrical acting troupe...
, Goro Naya
Goro Naya
is a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and theatre director from Hakodate, Hokkaidō. He is a drop-out of the legal education division of Ritsumeikan University. He is connected to Theatre Echo. He is the older brother of actor and seiyū Rokurō Naya. He is the husband of actress and seiyū...
, Yoji Matsuda
Yoji Matsuda
is a Japanese actor and seiyū from Tokyo.-Film:*Ayano Asuka Gumi *Blue Christmas *Doctor Magura *The Hidden Blade *Kaabee *Kappa...
, Yoshiko Sakakibara
Yoshiko Sakakibara
is a Japanese voice actress.-Direct-to-video animation:* 1983 Dallos - Melinda Hurst* 1985 Greed - Mimau* 1985 Area 88 - Yasuda* 1985 Cream Lemon – Rio* 1985 Megazone 23 – Reina* 1985 The Karuizawa Syndrome - Kaoru Matsunuma...
and Iemasa Kayumi
Iemasa Kayumi
is a Japanese voice actor, actor, and narrator from the Tokyo Metropolitan area. He is currently affiliated with 81 Produce.-Television Animation:*Angel Heart *Ashita no Nadja *Case Closed...
. The film tells the story of Nausicaä, a young princess of the Valley of the Wind who gets involved into a struggle with Tolmekia, a kingdom who tries to use an ancient weapon to fend off the Ohms. Nausicaä must stop the Tolmekians from killing these insects. The film was released in Japan on March 4, 1984 and was presented by the World Wide Fund for Nature
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
. While created before Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation and film studio founded in June 1985. The company's logo features the character Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro...
was founded, the film is considered to be the beginning of the studio, and is often included as part of the Studio's works, including the Studio Ghibli Collection DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s. Among its numerous awards, it won the Animage
Animage
is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, was serialized in Animage from 1982 through 1994...
Anime Grand Prix prize in 1984.
Plot
One thousand years after the "Seven Days of Fire", an apocalyptic war which destroyed civilization and EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
, scattered settlements exist throughout the Toxic jungle (Sea of Decay in subtitles and the manga translation), a forest swarming with giant insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. Everything in the Toxic Jungle is lethal to humans.
Nausicaä
Nausicaä (character)
is a fictional character from the science fiction manga series Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, created by Hayao Miyazaki, and the anime film by the same name, which was directed by Miyazaki...
(Sumi Shimamoto
Sumi Shimamoto
, real name , is a veteran Japanese voice actress born on December 8, 1954, in Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from the Toho Gakuen School of Music, she joined Gekidan Seinenza, a theatrical acting troupe...
), a princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
of the Valley of the Wind is a skillful fighter, but also humane and peace-loving. She communicates with the giant insects (Particularly the Ohmu, gigantic, armored, caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
insects who are the most intelligent in the Jungle.) Lord Yupa (Goro Naya
Goro Naya
is a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and theatre director from Hakodate, Hokkaidō. He is a drop-out of the legal education division of Ritsumeikan University. He is connected to Theatre Echo. He is the older brother of actor and seiyū Rokurō Naya. He is the husband of actress and seiyū...
), a wise wandering warrior, is dedicated to finding the legendary "man in blue" who has the power to reunite people and nature. Nausicaä is inspired by Yupa and she explores the Toxic Jungle to help her understand it. She travels long distances by "windriding": flying an advanced jet
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
assisted glider
Hang gliding
Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and unmotorized foot-launchable aircraft called a hang glider ....
.
A struggle among several kingdoms ensues when an airship crashes near the Valley. Nausicaä tries to rescue a wounded girl, who reveals herself as Princess Lastelle (Miina Tominaga
Miina Tominaga
, better known by her stage name of is a Japanese seiyū and tarento from Nishi-ku, Hiroshima. She is currently attached to Mint Avenue....
) of Pejite. The airship, from the militaristic
Militarism
Militarism is defined as: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
kingdom of Tolmekia, carries an embryo of a Giant Warrior, one of the lethal creatures used in ancient war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
. The dying Lastelle tells Nausicaä to destroy the embryo.
The Pejite discovered the embryo, but the more powerful Tolmekia stole it and took Lastelle as a hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
. The Tolmekians' airship was attacked by insects, causing them to crash. Tolmekians, under the leadership of princess Kushana (Yoshiko Sakakibara
Yoshiko Sakakibara
is a Japanese voice actress.-Direct-to-video animation:* 1983 Dallos - Melinda Hurst* 1985 Greed - Mimau* 1985 Area 88 - Yasuda* 1985 Cream Lemon – Rio* 1985 Megazone 23 – Reina* 1985 The Karuizawa Syndrome - Kaoru Matsunuma...
) and her general, Kurotowa (Iemasa Kayumi
Iemasa Kayumi
is a Japanese voice actor, actor, and narrator from the Tokyo Metropolitan area. He is currently affiliated with 81 Produce.-Television Animation:*Angel Heart *Ashita no Nadja *Case Closed...
), invade the Valley to secure the Warrior embryo. Kushana explains that the Giant Warrior will burn the Toxic Jungle, even though legends warn against this.
Kushana attempts to return to Pejite, along with Nausicaä and several new hostages. Before leaving, Nausicaä reveals to Yupa a hidden garden of jungle plants, which are not toxic because the plants grow in sand and water obtained from a deep, untainted well. Nausicaä explains that the jungle is toxic due to the fact that the soil has been tainted by man, even in the Valley. Since she has to depart, however, she shuts off the water which was keeping the plants alive.
Several Tolmekian airships are attacked and destroyed by a Pejite gunship. Nausicaä, Mito (Ichiro Nagai
Ichiro Nagai
is a male seiyū from Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture. He was formerly represented by Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society, but is now represented by Aoni Production.-Television animation:*Akuma-kun *Bikkuriman...
) and Kushana escape to a surviving gunship. They crash land in the jungle and Nausicaä communicates with several Ohmus, thereby discovering the pilot of the downed Pejite gunship is still alive. With the help of her glider, Nausicaä rescues the pilot, Asbel (Yoji Matsuda
Yoji Matsuda
is a Japanese actor and seiyū from Tokyo.-Film:*Ayano Asuka Gumi *Blue Christmas *Doctor Magura *The Hidden Blade *Kaabee *Kappa...
) of Pejite, the twin brother of Lastelle. However, Nausicaä and Asbel are swallowed by quicksand and end up in a strange, non-toxic world below the jungle. Nausicaä realizes the jungle plants purify the polluted topsoil, producing clean water, which remains hidden underground.
Nausicaä and Asbel return to Pejite, destroyed after insects are lured from the Sea of Decay to attack the occupying Tolmekians. The Pejite survivors, on a single airship, reveal that they will do the same thing in the Valley to recapture the Giant Warrior. The Pejite try to prevent Nausicaä from alerting the Tolmekians, but Asbel helps her flee. While flying home to the Valley, she encounters a herd of enraged Ohmus following a baby Ohmu being used by the Pejites to lure the herd to the Valley. Nausicaä releases the baby Ohmu and gains its trust.
Meanwhile, the Tolmekians try to stop the herd with armored vehicles, but fail. Kushana arrives with the Giant Warrior to stop the Ohmu, but the Warrior is unsuccessful. The Warrior dies during the fight because it was awakened too early from its larval stage.
Nausicaä and the baby Ohmu arrive and are overrun as they attempt to calm the enraged Ohmu. The Ohmus then calm down and use their tentacles to revive Nausicaä. Everyone sees that Nausicaä's dress is stained blue with blood of the baby Ohmu, meaning Nausicaä must be the blue savior sought by Yupa. The film ends with scenes of people and insects living together in peace.
Voice cast
| Characters | Japanese Version | American Version |
|---|---|---|
| Nausicaä Nausicaä (character) is a fictional character from the science fiction manga series Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, created by Hayao Miyazaki, and the anime film by the same name, which was directed by Miyazaki... |
Sumi Shimamoto Sumi Shimamoto , real name , is a veteran Japanese voice actress born on December 8, 1954, in Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from the Toho Gakuen School of Music, she joined Gekidan Seinenza, a theatrical acting troupe... |
Alison Lohman Alison Lohman Alison Marion Lohman is an American actress. She has had lead roles in the films White Oleander, Where the Truth Lies, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Flicka and Drag Me to Hell as well as smaller parts in Matchstick Men, Big Fish, Gamer, and Beowulf... |
| Asbel | Yōji Matsuda Yoji Matsuda is a Japanese actor and seiyū from Tokyo.-Film:*Ayano Asuka Gumi *Blue Christmas *Doctor Magura *The Hidden Blade *Kaabee *Kappa... |
Shia LaBeouf Shia LaBeouf Shia Saide LaBeouf is an American actor who became known among younger audiences for his part in the Disney Channel series Even Stevens and made his film debut in Holes . In 2007, he starred as the leads in Disturbia and Transformers... |
| Lady Kushana | Yoshiko Sakakibara Yoshiko Sakakibara is a Japanese voice actress.-Direct-to-video animation:* 1983 Dallos - Melinda Hurst* 1985 Greed - Mimau* 1985 Area 88 - Yasuda* 1985 Cream Lemon – Rio* 1985 Megazone 23 – Reina* 1985 The Karuizawa Syndrome - Kaoru Matsunuma... |
Uma Thurman Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill... |
| Lord Yupa | Goro Naya Goro Naya is a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and theatre director from Hakodate, Hokkaidō. He is a drop-out of the legal education division of Ritsumeikan University. He is connected to Theatre Echo. He is the older brother of actor and seiyū Rokurō Naya. He is the husband of actress and seiyū... |
Patrick Stewart Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century... |
| Obaba | Hisako Kyōda Hisako Kyoda is a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo who, among other roles, voiced Slappy Squirrel in the Japanese dub of Animaniacs. She is most known for the roles of Genkai , Omusubiman , and Yukari Godai... |
Tress MacNeille Tress MacNeille Tress MacNeille is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the... |
| Kurotowa | Iemasa Kayumi Iemasa Kayumi is a Japanese voice actor, actor, and narrator from the Tokyo Metropolitan area. He is currently affiliated with 81 Produce.-Television Animation:*Angel Heart *Ashita no Nadja *Case Closed... |
Chris Sarandon Chris Sarandon Chris Sarandon is an American actor who was married to actress Susan Sarandon between 1968 and 1979. He is best known for playing Prince Humperdinck in the film The Princess Bride, the vampire Jerry Dandridge in Fright Night and Detective Mike Norris in the first entry of the Child's Play series,... |
| King Jihl | Mahito Tsujimura Mahito Tsujimura is a Japanese voice actor employed by 81 Produce.-Notable Voice Roles:*Konoemon "Dean" Konoe in Negima*Gopher in Kingdom Hearts II and the Winnie the Pooh series *The King in Slayers: The Motion Picture... |
Mark Silverman |
| Mito | Ichirō Nagai Ichiro Nagai is a male seiyū from Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture. He was formerly represented by Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society, but is now represented by Aoni Production.-Television animation:*Akuma-kun *Bikkuriman... |
Edward James Olmos Edward James Olmos Edward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt... |
| Gol | Kōhei Miyauchi Kohei Miyauchi ' was a veteran Japanese seiyū born in Kagoshima Prefecture. His real name was Takayuki Miyauchi and his nickname was "Miya-chan". On June 2, 1995, Miyauchi died on his hospital bed at the Nihon University Itabashi Hospital from abdominal varices... |
Frank Welker Frank Welker Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:... |
| Gikuri | Jōji Yanami Joji Yanami is a Japanese voice actor currently represented by Aoni Production.- Television :* Ookami Shōnen Ken , Boss* Hustle Punch , Professor Garigari/Garigari Hagase* Osomatsu-kun , Tou-san... |
Jeff Bennett Jeff Bennett Jeffrey Glenn "Jeff" Bennett is an American voice actor and musician, listed "among the top names in the voice-over field", best known as the voice of Johnny Bravo in the series of the same name... |
| Lastelle | Miina Tominaga Miina Tominaga , better known by her stage name of is a Japanese seiyū and tarento from Nishi-ku, Hiroshima. She is currently attached to Mint Avenue.... |
Emily Bauer Emily Bauer Emily Bauer is an American singer, dancer, actress and voice actress. She is also credited as Emily Blau.-Biography:... |
| Mayor of Pejite | Mugihito Mugihito , better known by his stage name of is a Japanese voice and stage actor from Musashino, Tokyo. He is employed by Media Force. Mugihito was formerly credited under his birth name and also... (voiced as Makoto Terada) |
Mark Hamill Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill is an American actor, voice artist, producer, director, and writer, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy of Star Wars. More recently, he has received acclaim for his voice work, in such roles as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, Firelord... |
| Lastelle's Mother | Akiko Tsuboi | Jodi Benson Jodi Benson Jodi Marie Benson is an American actress, voice actress, soprano singer, and Disney Legend. She is best known for providing both the speaking and the singing voices of Disney's Princess Ariel in The Little Mermaid and its sequels. In 2002 and 2006, she reprised the role of Ariel in the English... |
| Narrator | Tony Jay Tony Jay Tony Jay was an English actor, voice actor and singer. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was known for his voice work in animation, film and computer games. Jay's distinctive baritone voice often landed him villainous roles... |
|
Production
When Tokuma Shoten approached Miyazaki to have the manga turned into a film, he initially refused, but then agreed on the condition that he could direct. Nausicaä was produced with animators hired for the one film and paid per frame. One notable animator was Hideaki AnnoHideaki Anno
is a Japanese animation and film director. Anno is best known for his work on the popular anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. His style has come to be defined by the touches of postmodernism that he injects into his work, as well as the thorough portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotions,...
, who later directed Neon Genesis Evangelion. Anno was assigned to draw the challenging God Warrior's attack sequence, which according to Toshio Suzuki is a "high point in the film".
Releases
The film was released by Toei CompanyToei Company
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
on March 4, 1984, and sold almost a million tickets.
Warriors of the Wind
In the 1980s, New World Pictures produced an English-dubbed version of the film, titled Warriors of the Wind, and it was released theatrically in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, shown on HBO and released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
. The voice actors and actresses were not informed of the film's plotline and the film was heavily edited
Editing of anime in American distribution
Editing of anime in American distribution describes the process of altering anime to prepare it to be distributed in the United States and forms part of the process of localization. This process is generally applied only to series intended for broadcast on American television; series released...
to make it as a children-oriented film. Consequently, part of the film's narrative meaning was lost; some of the environmentalist themes were diluted as was the main subplot of the Ohmu, altered to turn them into aggressive enemies. Most of the characters were renamed (for example, Nausicaä became "Princess Zandra"). The cover for the VHS release featured a cadre of male characters, who are not in the film, riding the resurrected God Warrior—including a still-living Warrior shown briefly in a flashback. It was released around the world under various titles, such as Sternenkrieger (literally "Star Warriors") in Germany. An uncredited Susan Davis provided the voice of the title role, although it was (and often still is) erroneously believed to be June Foray due to the similarity in voices and Asbel, dubbed "Prince Milo" in this version, was voiced by Cam Clarke
Cam Clarke
Cameron Arthur "Cam" Clarke is a prolific American voice actor and singer, well known for his work in animation and video games. Clarke is well known for providing the voices of Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Shotaro Kaneda in the 1989 original English-dub of Akira. He often voices...
.
Many fans of Nausicaä, and Miyazaki himself, express dislike over this version; Miyazaki suggested people should put it "out of their minds." Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki have asked fans to forget its existence and later adopted a strict "no-edits" clause for future foreign releases of its films. On hearing Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein, CBE is an American film producer and movie studio chairman. He is best known as co-founder of Miramax Films. He and his brother Bob have been co-chairmen of The Weinstein Company, their film production company, since 2005...
would try to cut Princess Mononoke
Princess Mononoke
is a 1997 epic Japanese animated historical fantasy feature film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. is not a name, but a general term in the Japanese language for a spirit or monster...
to make it more marketable, one of Studio Ghibli's producers sent an authentic katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
with a simple message: "No cuts".
2005 English re-release
An uncut and re-dubbed version of Nausicaä was released on DVD by Buena Vista Home Entertainment on February 22, 2005 for Region 1. This DVD also includes the Japanese audio track with English subtitles. Optimum Home EntertainmentOptimum Releasing
StudioCanal UK is a film distributor company working in the UK and Ireland. The company releases many films, including foreign language films, anime releases such as Studio Ghibli's films and independent British, Irish and American films in the UK and sometimes Ireland.Optimum was acquired by...
released the film in Region 2, and the Region 4 DVD is distributed by Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that distributes international films as well as Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by Funtastic Limited and is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia. It employs 130 people and has an annual...
. A remastered Blu-ray sourced from a 6K filmscan was released on July 14, 2010 in Japan. It includes an uncompressed Japanese LPCM stereo track, an English dub and English subtitles. On October 18, 2010 a Blu-ray version was released in Region 2 by Optimum Home Entertainment. The film was released on Blu-ray in the United States and Canada on March 8, 2011 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.
Gliders
Various gliders are seen in the film, and the protagonist, Nausicaä, uses a jet-assisted one-person gliderFixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
-shaped machine with folding wing
Folding wing
A folding wing is a design feature of aircraft to save space in the airfield, and time, and is typical of naval aircraft that operate from the limited deck space of aircraft carriers. The folding allows the aircraft to occupy less space in a confined hangar because the folded wing normally rises...
s. According to the accompanying film book released in Japan, the glider is called , the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
word meaning seagull. An official scale model lists it as having an approximate wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
of 5.8 meters (1/20 model measured to be 29 cm), while the design notes indicate it weighs only 12 kg. In 2004, the Japanese-led OpenSky Aircraft Project
OpenSky Aircraft Project
-External links:* *...
began attempts to build a real-life, working personal jet glider based on the glider from the film. Two full-size gliders with no power source carrying the code name M01 and M02, with a half-sized jet-powered remote controlled mock up called moewe 1/2 was built. The designer and tester of the project refused the official endorsement of the project by Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
, noting that he did not want to cause trouble for them if an accident occurred.
Soundtrack
The film's score was composed by Joe HisaishiJoe Hisaishi
, known professionally as , is a composer and director known for over 100 film scores and solo albums dating back to 1981.While possessing a stylistically distinct sound, Hisaishi's music has been known to explore and incorporate different genres, including minimalist, experimental electronic,...
, while the vocal theme song "Kaze no Tani no Naushika" was produced by Haruomi Hosono
Haruomi Hosono
, also known as Harry Hosono, is a Japanese popular musician, best known internationally as a key member of the rock band Happy End and the pioneering electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra.-Biography:...
(former Yellow Magic Orchestra
Yellow Magic Orchestra
Sakamoto first worked with Hosono as a member of his live band in 1976, while Takahashi recruited Sakamoto to produce his debut solo recording in 1977 following the split of the Sadistic Mika Band...
member) and sung by Narumi Yasuda. Numerous soundtracks and albums relating to the film have been released.
- Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind: Image Album
(風の谷のナウシカ イメージアルバム 鳥の人) released November 25, 1983 - Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind: Symphony
(風の谷のナウシカ シンフォニー 風の伝説) released February 25, 1984 - Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind: Soundtrack
(風の谷のナウシカ サウンドトラック はるかな地へ) released March 25, 1984 - Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind: Drama Version
(風の谷のナウシカ・ドラマ編) released April 25, 1984 - Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind: Best Collection (風の谷のナウシカ BEST) released November 25, 1986
- Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind: Hi-tech Series (風の谷のナウシカ・ハイテックシリーズ) released October 25, 1989
- Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind: Piano Solo Album
released March 15, 1992
Manga
Miyazaki's manga version of Nausicaä was written over a period of 12 years, with breaks taken to work on Studio GhibliStudio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation and film studio founded in June 1985. The company's logo features the character Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro...
films. Serialized in Tokuma Shoten
Tokuma Shoten
is a publisher in Japan, that was established in 1954.The company was also the parent company for the film studio Daiei Motion Pictures, bought in 1974, and the record label Tokuma Japan Communications, bought in 1972, until both were sold off when Yasuyoshi Tokuma, who established this company,...
's Animage
Animage
is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, was serialized in Animage from 1982 through 1994...
magazine, the first chapter was published in February 1982, and the last chapter in March 1994. As can be expected, the story of the manga is far more complex than that of the film. The tale depicted in the film roughly corresponds to only the first quarter of the manga (which is all that had been written at the time the film was produced), with significant differences in plot.
In addition to the plot, there are other significant differences in the story—the characters are more developed and the environmentalist tone is more sophisticated, echoed in the complex worldview of Princess Mononoke
Princess Mononoke
is a 1997 epic Japanese animated historical fantasy feature film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. is not a name, but a general term in the Japanese language for a spirit or monster...
. Nausicaä herself is portrayed as being much more potent, with abilities that are not always explained.
The Nausicaä manga is published in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by VIZ Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
. Earlier editions of the English manga and fan translations often used the title Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind, omitting the definite article.
Video games
At least two video games were released based on the manga and the film. They were both developed by Technopolis Soft and published by Technopolis Soft and Tokuma ShotenTokuma Shoten
is a publisher in Japan, that was established in 1954.The company was also the parent company for the film studio Daiei Motion Pictures, bought in 1974, and the record label Tokuma Japan Communications, bought in 1972, until both were sold off when Yasuyoshi Tokuma, who established this company,...
.
- Nausicaä in the Nick of Time (Naushika Kiki Ippatsu or Nausicaä Kiki Ippatsu) is a Japanese shoot 'em upShoot 'em upShoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
computer game developed and published by Technopolis Soft for the NEC PC-6001NEC PC-6001The NEC PC-6001 was the first of the NEC Corporation personal computer line. There were several versions of the PC-6001, including the PC-6001 MK2, the PC-6001 MK2 SR, and the PC-6801. There was also an American version, called the NEC TREK, or NEC PC-6001A...
computer system in 1984. - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is an adventure game developed by Technopolis Soft and published with NEC PC-8801NEC PC-8801The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
game, was an adventure game titled was also released in the 1980s.
This was the last video game to be based on a Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
product. It has been said that Hayao Miyazaki was displeased at the formula for the game (a shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
) and considered it against the peaceful messages of the source material.
Reception
The film grossed 740 million yen, and currently holds a 80% "Fresh" on Rottentomatoes.It made number 37 on Total Film
Total Film
Total Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features...
's top 50 animated films list.
See also
- NausicaäNausicaaNausicaa is a character in Homer's Odyssey . She is the daughter of King Alcinous and Queen Arete of Phaeacia. Her name, in Greek, means "burner of ships".-Role in the Odyssey:...
, the daughter of King Alkínoös of the Phaeacians, in Homer's OdysseyHomer's Odyssey"Homer's Odyssey" is the third full length episode of The Simpsons, that originally aired on the Fox network on January 21, 1990. In this episode Homer becomes a crusader for citizen safety in Springfield, and is promoted to his current position as Nuclear Safety Inspector for the entire power plant...
.
Further reading
- Hairston, Marc (2010) "Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: Manga into Anime and Its Reception" in Johnson-Woods, Toni (e.d.) Manga: An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives Continuum International Publishing GroupContinuum International Publishing GroupThe Continuum International Publishing Group is a publisher of books, with its editorial offices in London and New York City. It had been owned by Nova Capital Management since 2005...
ISBN 9780826429384 - Napier, Susan J. (2005) Anime: From Akira to Howl's Moving Castle Palgrave MacmillanPalgrave MacmillanPalgrave Macmillan is an international academic and trade publishing company, headquartered in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom and with offices in New York, Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong, Delhi, Johannesburg. It was created in 2000 when St...
ISBN 1-4039-7052-1Mechademia 5: Fanthropologies]]|year=2010|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis|isbn=978-0816673872|pages=31–49|editor=Lunning, Frenchy|chapter=Transforming U.S. Anime in the 1980s: Localization and Longevity}}