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

Warrior/pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet.

Director:

Hayao Miyazaki

Writers:

Hayao Miyazaki (comic), Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)

Stars:

Sumi Shimamoto, Mahito Tsujimura, Hisako Kyôda

Top 250 #239 | 3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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)

Storyline

In the far future, man has destroyed the Earth in the "Seven Days of Fire". Now, there are small pockets of humanity that survive. One pocket is the Valley of Wind where a princess named Nausicaä tries to understand, rather than destroy the Toxic Jungle. Note that the old US release titled Warriors of the Wind is an entirely kiddiefied version which edits the original movie heavily, thus creating an entirely different story. -Andre

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Plot Keywords:

valley | princess | wind | far future | future | 

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Taglines:

Miyazaki's epic masterpiece (2005 Disney release)

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for violence

Details

Official Sites:

Disney [United States] Official site

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

11 March 1984 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hakuhodo, Nibariki, Tokuma Shoten

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min 95 min (1985) (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kazunori Itô wrote the first draft of this movie.

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Goofs

During the climactic battle scene, the design of Ohbaba's headband changes several times. It sometimes has gold beads instead of gold-circled turquoise beads on the end-pieces, and alternately terminates with a single or a double line of cord.

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Quotes

Yupa: [about Kushana's arm] An insect did that?
Kushana: Yes, and whatever lucky man becomes my husband shall see far worse than that.

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Crazy Credits

As the credits roll we see life returning to normal in the valley: Kushana, Kurotowa and the Tolmekian fleet leave peacefully, after Nausicaä has unheard words for Kushana. The denizens of the Valley of the Wind replant trees in the burned-down forest. Lord Yupa and Asbel ride Yupa's beasts to the Toxic Jungle and explore it. When the text "The End" appears on screen we see Nausicaa's discarded helmet in the forest, alongside a green, non-Toxic Jungle sapling.

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Connections

Referenced in Mulan (1998)

User Reviews

Unlike anything you've seen

Usually I try to compare one anime with another but I find it impossible to do for Nausicaa. I doubt if any other anime tried to repeat (or at least not successfully) the combination of science fiction, drama and medievalism that's in this film. However the most captivating (yet stereotypical perhaps) aspect of Nausicaa is her sympathy to all living things and her uncanny intuition about the things around her. Her abilities are the only drawback to this film because such characters can be found in most anime involving a heroine, whereas the storyline makes it a most unique experience.

I was somewhat dissappointed with the ending. I won't give it away but the character of the Princess was just made to conform to the "standards of a heroine". Animation was acceptable but not superb although the designs of some landscapes and characters were spectacular. Overall an 8.