I rented this film because it was from Studio Gibli--and they've made a lot of terrific films. However, I think it's one of their least productions--and if you are looking for a film like "My Neighbor Totoro" or "Ponyo", "Tales of Earthsea" may leave you cold. It turns out that the film left the author of the original book (Ursula LeGuin) cold--as she was apparently surprised at home violent this film was--and how unlike her story it was.
Although this is a Miyazaki directed film, it's actually by his son, Goro. Hayao was apparently busy on another project and so direction of this epic cartoon was delegated to him. And in many ways it looks like a Hayao Miyazaki film...but if you pay attention closely, you'll easily be able to see the differences. In particular, while the best scenes in "Tales From Earthsea" are every bit as good as any other Miyazaki film, many times you see lapses--scenes where the animation is frankly no better than a typical anime show. I found it frustrating as the film switched from a gorgeously rendered scene to one that just looked slapped together hurriedly. Also, this film is very dark--a lot like Hayao's early films ("Nausica"). It has a lot of blood for a cartoon--and even an attempted rape scene. Clearly it earned its PG-13 rating.
The story is typical of many fantasy stories and ultimately you can easily see where the plot is headed. There's an evil wizard and the spirits of goodness must prevail. However, it seems to take forever getting there. The pace, to put it bluntly, is glacial. My daughter adores Miyazaki films, but midway through the movie she went to bed. Like so many other viewers, she was hoping to see something reminiscent of "Sprited Away" or "Ponyo". Instead, it was a bit like a long-winded and more boring version of "Howl's Moving Castle"--and like that film, it seemed to have little respect for the source material.
Overall, I'd give this film a 6. If you are patient, it IS worth seeing but I certainly would not show it to most kids. Poorly paced and unevenly animated, it is certainly among the least watchable of Gibli's films. On the positive side, the DVD package is nice and you can watch the film in the original Japanese (like I did) with English subtitles or you can watch it with an American cast of voice talent.
Although this is a Miyazaki directed film, it's actually by his son, Goro. Hayao was apparently busy on another project and so direction of this epic cartoon was delegated to him. And in many ways it looks like a Hayao Miyazaki film...but if you pay attention closely, you'll easily be able to see the differences. In particular, while the best scenes in "Tales From Earthsea" are every bit as good as any other Miyazaki film, many times you see lapses--scenes where the animation is frankly no better than a typical anime show. I found it frustrating as the film switched from a gorgeously rendered scene to one that just looked slapped together hurriedly. Also, this film is very dark--a lot like Hayao's early films ("Nausica"). It has a lot of blood for a cartoon--and even an attempted rape scene. Clearly it earned its PG-13 rating.
The story is typical of many fantasy stories and ultimately you can easily see where the plot is headed. There's an evil wizard and the spirits of goodness must prevail. However, it seems to take forever getting there. The pace, to put it bluntly, is glacial. My daughter adores Miyazaki films, but midway through the movie she went to bed. Like so many other viewers, she was hoping to see something reminiscent of "Sprited Away" or "Ponyo". Instead, it was a bit like a long-winded and more boring version of "Howl's Moving Castle"--and like that film, it seemed to have little respect for the source material.
Overall, I'd give this film a 6. If you are patient, it IS worth seeing but I certainly would not show it to most kids. Poorly paced and unevenly animated, it is certainly among the least watchable of Gibli's films. On the positive side, the DVD package is nice and you can watch the film in the original Japanese (like I did) with English subtitles or you can watch it with an American cast of voice talent.