Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Blu-ray delivers stunning video and great audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
A thousand years after a global war, a seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of only a few areas still populated. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaa, the people of the Valley are engaged in a constant struggle with powerful insects called Ohmu, who guard a poisonous jungle that is spreading across the Earth. Nausicaa and her brave companions, together with the people of the Valley, strive to restore the bond between humanity and the Earth.
Even in 2011, some twenty-seven years after its initial release, Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind stands as a masterclass in stirring hand-drawn animation, magnificent design and absorbing fantasy storytelling. Based on the first two volumes of Miyazaki's seven-volume manga of the same name, it's an unexpectedly moving cautionary tale and a startlingly timely indictment of war, environmental indifference and reactionary politics. It's also a sweeping, sky-splitting adventure sure to enchant the entire family; no small feat considering the depth and darkness Nausicaä embraces over the course of its two hours. Granted, it isn't an official Studio Ghibli production as its coverart suggests (Miyazaki and Isao Takahata didn't establish Ghibli until 1985, a full year after its debut), it doesn't carry the same cinematic clout in North America as it does in Japan, and far too many moviegoers have never sampled its wonders. Even so, it remains a timeless animated treasure and an incredibly important, poignant and powerful film.
"There's nothing to fear..."
A thousand years ago, war scorched the Earth, pushing mankind to the brink of extinction and wreaking havoc on the global ecosystem. Now, a strange and deadly toxic jungle is spreading across the land at an alarming rate, dividing and eliminating the remnants of humanity into several struggling civilizations: the iron-clad, war-mongering Tolmekians, the desperate warriors of Pejite and the peace-loving peoples of the Valley of the Wind, a serene oasis protected from the poisonous spores of the toxic jungle by the sea's salty breeze. As the story opens, the Valley's king is bedridden and dying, leaving his only daughter, the fearless but sweet-natured Princess Nausicaä (Sumi Shimamoto in the original Japanese version, Alison Lohman in the 2005 English dub), to care for their people. Thankfully, the young princess isn't alone: she receives inspiration from master swordsman Lord Yupa (Goro Naya, Patrick Stewart), selfless aid from gruff villager Mito (Ichirô Nagai, Edward James Olmos) and spiritual guidance from the Valley's mystic, Obaba (Hisako Kyôda, Tress MacNeille).
Nausicaä isn't a traditionalist though. She believes it's possible for man to co-exist with the Toxic Jungle and the Ohmu, a sentient species of enormous insects that, when provoked, are capable of tremendous destruction. Using a rocket glider to soar above Earth's wastelands and venture deep into the Toxic Jungle, the princess slowly comes to understand the beasts and their habitat, and even develops methods to soothe the insects' blind rage. But when a Tolmekian airship carrying an ancient weapon crashes in the Valley of the Wind, Nausicaä and her people are thrust into the middle of a conflict between the Tolmekians, the Pejite and a nigh unstoppable force of nature. Before long, the princess has to contend with a merciless Tolmekian strategist (Yoshiko Sakakibara, Uma Thurman), convince a Pejite pilot named Asbel (Yôji Matsuda, Shia LaBeouf) to help her, and uncover the secrets of the Toxic Jungle before the Tolmekians or Pejite inadvertently finish what their ancestors started centuries ago.
Nausicaä wears Miyazaki's heart and soul on its sleeve. The film's environmental subtext isn't subtle by any means, but it also never amounts to a sermon for sermon's sake. The legendary Studio Ghibli filmmaker not only crafts a fascinating, at-times frightening dystopian futurescape -- one teeming with massive bugs, vast fantasy vistas, untamed jungles, thundering airships, rickety tanks and lumbering fire giants -- he unifies the film's most disparate elements in perfect harmony and weaves a pointed tale as nimble and airy as it is weighty and profound. Many of his characters are impulsive and prone to recklessness, his most noble heroes aren't without their own flaws, his world demands endless exploration, and his deceptively simple story evokes awe and wonder. Nausicaä's thousand-year backstory is revealed in manageable increments to make the film accessible to audiences of all ages, but the whole of the mythos is elaborate enough to make further viewings that much more rewarding. Antagonists and opportunists challenge Nausicaä every step of the way, but the only true villains to emerge are mankind's arrogance and war itself. The princess exudes an otherworldly essence, an innate mysticism if you will, but remains a decidedly human heroine. Suffice it to say, Nausicaä is anything but a conventional animated film.
Of course, Miyazaki's animation steals the show. Princess Nausicaä's flights of fancy are absolutely stunning, her first encounter with Tolmekian warriors is thrilling, the Ohmu skitter and stampede with unnerving speed, Lord Yupa's sword blazes a furious trail, jungle spores float to the ground with the grim grace of a light but lethal snow, battles are exquisitely fierce and fluid, and a rapidly decaying giant rivals Akira's Tetsuo-born monstrosity. And that's without touching on Miyazaki's barren wastelands, enormous underground caverns and lush toxic jungles. The animation isn't as complex or polished as it is in his later films (particularly Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Ponyo), but it's no less mesmerizing. There's an elegance to his characters' expressions and an natural, all-too-convincing ease to their movements that allow them to spring to life. His post-apocalyptic world is bristling with activity, his creatures' every reaction and response speaks volumes, and his animators' aren't given much liberty to take shortcuts. Combined with haunting wartime imagery, Joe Hisaishi's rich score and sing-songy Ohmu themes, a series of excellent performances by the original 1984 Japanese cast and the 2005 American ensemble, and an intense, rousing and emotional endgame, the resulting film is nothing short of a hypnotic tour de force.
Disney's exceedingly respectful 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer is almost as striking as the film's soaring visuals. Colors aren't as vibrant as some might expect, but there's a solemn strength, a sand-swept beauty and an organic restraint to Miyazaki's dusty watercolor palette that, in many ways, is far more evocative and arresting than the alternative. Detail is just as admirable. Every fluid stroke of the animators' lineart has been perfectly preserved, their ink-work is deeper and cleaner than it's ever been, and their hand-drawn backgrounds and airships are a stunning sight to behold. Moreover, the film's fine grain structure is intact and, despite its prominence, both consistent and attractive, lending each scene a filmic quality that only showcases the transfer's cinematic integrity. Yes, a number of soft shots pepper the proceedings, slight telecine wobbling is apparent, and negligible cel nicks and specks, as well as some minor print imperfections, appear throughout. However, each and every quote-unquote issue traces back to the original source and very few instances, if any, detract from the overall impact or authenticity of the presentation. The studio's encode warrants even higher praise. There isn't any significant artifacting, banding, ringing, compression anomalies, aliasing or, really, anything at all that might distract seasoned videophiles from Miyazaki's remarkable imagery.
To be clear: Nausicaä doesn't look as if it rolled out of an animation studio yesterday, a fact that will probably elicit apathy from viewers hoping for a water-into-wine redux. But as twenty-seven-year old anime classics go, Disney's reverent high definition transfer makes it that much easier to sink into Miyazaki's dazzling vision and float away.
Choices, choices. Unlike Ponyo, Nausicaä includes a trio of lossless options: a solid Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, an equally impressive English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix and, for those it benefits, a comparable French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 offering. There are a few small differences between the three, the most notable being that voices in the original Japanese-language track are brighter but thinner than their English-dub counterparts. Be that as it may, it's important to remember Nausicaä's Japanese cast delivered their lines in 1984 while the film's American cast was recorded some twenty years later. Needless to say, every difference audiophiles will encounter is inherent to each version's original sound design, not varying quality among Disney's lossless tracks. Regardless of whether you choose Japanese, English or French though, dialogue remains clear and intelligible, effects are reasonably well-grounded, low-end tones are granted some relative oomph (despite the lack of any LFE channel support), Joe Hisaishi's score holds its own, and the whole of the soundscape, though dated, is entirely serviceable. I do wish a 5.1 or 7.1 remix were available, if for no other reason than to sweeten the pot, but I doubt many film purists or Miyazaki devotees will be sitting at home shaking their fists at the faithful options at their disposal.
Unfortunately, the Blu-ray edition of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind doesn't boast as much supplemental content as I hoped it would. What it does offer though -- a full-length storyboard presentation, a Japanese television documentary, two featurettes, a trivia challenge and other less notable goodies -- is worth watching, even if you have to pop in the 2-disc set's standard DVD to access some of the film's special features.
Original Japanese Storyboards (Disc 1, HD, 117 minutes): This lovely 1.85:1 presentation of the film's Japanese storyboards is appreciated, even if its 320kbps Japanese-language Dolby Digital stereo audio track is a bit of a letdown. Yes, an option to view the storyboards alongside the final film via a full-fledged PiP track would have been ideal, but I'm not complaining.
Enter the Lands of Ghibli (Disc 1, HD): Nearly identical to the "Enter the Land" experience introduced with the Blu-ray release of Ponyo, this interactive map leads to more material, albeit nothing that resonates. You'll find a surprisingly difficult Nausicaä Trivia Challenge, clips from other Miyazaki films, and a series of Studio Ghibli trailers. Nothing more.
Behind the Studio: Creating Nausicaä (Disc 1, HD, 12 minutes): Hear from writer/director Hayao Miyazaki himself in this short but sweet high definition featurette.
The Birth Story of Studio Ghibli (Disc 2, SD, 28 minutes): This Japanese TV documentary relies on recreations, archive footage and photographs, interviews and informative narration to trace the history of Studio Ghibli, the rise of Miyazaki and the development and production of his films.
Behind the Microphone (Disc 2, SD, 8 minutes): Hop into the recording booth with the film's American voice cast and learn what drew them to Nausicaä.
Original Japanese Trailers and TV Spots (Disc 2, SD, 8 minutes)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a classic in every sense of the word. As relevant and engrossing today as it was nearly three decades ago (if not more so), Hayao Miyazaki's sweeping fantasy epic is as touching as it is beautiful, as haunting as it is poignant, as captivating as it is unforgettable. Disney's Blu-ray release isn't as indispensable, but it is without a doubt worth owning. Its video transfer is faithful and proficient, and its original Japanese-language and English-dub DTS-HD Master Audio stereo tracks are superb. In fact, the only area that comes up short is the film's supplemental package, and it still has a lot to offer. Whether you've never seen Nausicaä or are intimately familiar with its majesty, add this one to your cart, share it with your entire family and prepare to revisit it again and again over the coming years.
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