Tales from Earthsea

In Anime Society this week we watched the Studio Ghibli film Gedo senki or Tales from Earthsea. It was directed and written fpr the screen (in-part) by Goro Miyazaki, son of the legendary Japanese animation director/writer/animator Hayao Miyazaki. First off, I would like to say that this movie was so visually pleasing that I was left speechless at times. The opening scenes features a mid-air battle between dragons that send a chill down any animation-enthusiast's spine. However, quality in animation is something we simply come to expect from Studio Ghibli, though I don't think this means we shouldn't honor it anyway.

The film itself is a pleasing picture. It has an interesting plot, likable, even epic, characters, and an atmosphere about it that makes you feel as if you could walk the magical lands in-which the film takes place. However, it moves at a surprisingly slow pace. The middle of the movie drags on for longer than it should and, as a result, it's significantly harder to take the ending seriously. This could have fixed, I think, by adding a few more action sequences in the middle. The combat the film does feature is breath-taking in both animation and choreography.

I've yet to watch the original Japanese version of the film because of technical difficulties but I can say that Buena Vista Home Entertainment really supplied an great cast. There were excellent performances across the board but the two most notable were from Timothy Dalton, who plays the guiding figure of Ged or Sparrowhawk, and from Willem Dafoe, who plays the evil villian Lord Cob. Cheech Marin also provides a voice for the film, getting back to a more distinguished voice acting career, such as his role in Oliver & Company, rather than his recent projects, for instance the less than anticipated Beverly Hills Chihuahua.

Overall, Gedo senki is a good movie but, I believe, it is ultimately Goro Miyazaki trying to replicate what his father accomplished with Mononoke-hime (Princess Mononoke). I would deem Gedo senki an excellent visual successor to Princess Mononoke but I'd say little more than that. I also have to say that I am not being completely fair. if any other animation studio, other than Ghibli, had produced this film I'd be less critical. However, thanks to Ghibli's other brillant directors ( Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata) I expect more from them. Also, This is Goro Miyazaki first film, and taking that into consideration it is really done quite well.