Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Before there was even a Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro) was making fantasy adventures that are unlike anything found in animation anywhere else: Massive airships, bizarre creatures, giant castles, and mythical legends; Hayao Miyazaki has created many magical and original worlds that are easy to get lost in and fascinating to explore. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is one of the first films that Miyazaki wrote and directed (as well as having a hand in nearly every other aspect of the film), and is based on the adaptation of the comic series that he himself wrote. Taking place roughly 1000 years in the future after nearly everything was wiped out by giant gods of destruction, the earth is a polluted and dangerous world populated by massive bugs, warring nations, and an ever growing swamp-like forest known as the Sea of Decay, which spreads its poisonous spores that are lethal to breathe. The story follows a strong young princess named Nausicaä (Sumi Shimamoto) who lives in a peaceful and quaint little village in the valley of the winds protected by its windmills and the clean ocean breeze. Like in any Miyazaki film, the settings are beautiful, large in scale, and colorful. The valley of the wind looks like the perfect little village covered in lush greens and surrounded by towering cliffs. Even the Sea of Decay is a place of mysterious beauty, featuring crystal clear lakes and beams of light that shine in through the trees, illuminating the all the details of the forest and creating a quite and peaceful world that contrasts the dangers stored within. Right from the beginning, Nausicaä displays an uncanny ability to calm animals (including the dreaded Ohms, who are colossal, nearly indestructible bugs that roam the earth) and captivate anyone who meets her. The story picks up when a large ship carrying very dangerous and apocalyptic cargo crashes into her valley and brings the might of the Tolmekian Empire to her doorstep.

The story shows the importance of preserving and protecting nature (the cause of all the pollution in the first place is man) while at the same time displaying the horrors of war and the problems it causes. All of the characters are interesting and two dimensional. There is no set villain of the film; there are the Tolmekians, whose leaders seem like the bad guys, but every character has their own reason and motivation for doing something, and there are the Ohms, but the way they are depicted in the film make them seem like any animal; violent only when threatened. The world of Nausicaä is not black and white when it comes to good and evil. Nausicaä herself fears the evil she is capable of when in a burst of anger she attacks a group of Tolmekian soldiers injuring many and possibly killing a few of them. There are other really interesting characters like Yupa (Gorô Naya), the wise sword master who wanders the earth in search of the mystical man from the prophecy who will save the planet, and Kushana (Yoshiko Sakakibara), the Tolmekian leader who has her own reasons for wanting to destroy the bugs and the Sea of Decay. As with all films that have the Miyazaki name attached, this one features spectacular and fluid cell animation, the likes of which are never really used anymore. Everything in this film is hand drawn and the level of quality is staggering. Sporting a strong female role model and a powerful message, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is another must see fantasy masterpiece from Hayao Miyazaki that is sure to please all ages.