A milestone in Japanese animation, this early film by Hayao Miyazaki is arguably more important in the history of the medium than Akira. An unparalleled blend of heavyweight sci-fi and fantasy, it’s set on a far-future Earth dominated by giant insects and a towering sea of fungus. The eponymous teen heroine zooms around on her one-girl glider, frantically trying to bring harmony between humans and aliens. While the pacing and drawing occasionally falter, the best scenes have the meditative magic of Spirited Away, especially when we plunge into the fantastic fungal forest. The Hollywood dub version – featuring Alison Lohman, Patrick Stewart and Uma Thurman – turns out to be disappointingly flat; best to stick to the Japanese.
DVD Extras:
A useful 25-minute subtitled documentary fills in the history of Studio Ghibli between Nausicaä and Spirited Away. There are Japanese trailers and the option to toggle between the completed animation and the original storyboards.
