Castles in the Sky: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, by Aaron Pinkston

If you take a look at Studio Ghibli’s wikipedia page, it’s easy to see the depth of work and success of the Japanese animation studio. With 18 official titles produced, plus literally hundreds of shorts, related works, films for television and other contributions to Japanese anime, they are one of the most recognizable animators in the world. In 2011, a 15-film retrospective made its way across the United States, “Castles in the Sky,” showcasing the master-works of Hayao Miyzaki, Isao Takahata and the rest of Studio Ghibli. Personally, I’ve always loved Ghibli, but have had a very limited exposure to their work, making this retrospective finally coming to Chicago perfect for me.

From this slightly limited knowledge of Studio Ghibli, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a much more maturely themed film. We still have young woman at the center, but the world she inhabits is frightening and depressing. During the opening narration, we learn the the industrial world has collapsed and now the globe is covered with toxic forests and giant insects. There are multiple scenes in the film that were genuinely scary or creepy — the designs of the world’s mosters have extraordinary detail, to the point that young children will have extra-vivid nightmares about them. The world of Nausicaä is ugly and violent, driven by war and machines of death. Ghibli’s films don’t pussyfoot around mature themes, but they aren’t often so violent, destructive. Through the film’s main character, the tone still has a tinge of hope, but is in no way happy or bittersweet.

The basic plot: a young princess named Nausicaä (voiced by Alison Lohman in the American dubbed version screened) must deal with the challenges of living in a world covered in poison, the soon-coming death of her ill father and a rampaging army threatening to take over the valley where her people make their homes. Throwing in the environmental themes of the film, it might all sound like a Nintendo role playing game, which is a pretty apt comparison. And with more emphasis on action sequences, the film mirrors more contemporary anime, which Studio Ghibli usually plays against.

The environmental lessons of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind are densely loaded: we’re told that man has completely polluted the lakes and rivers and a group of people are threatening to burn down the toxic forest, which may sound like a good idea without realizing that this forest actually purifies the ground water. Hmm, sounds a little similar to this world’s relationship with wetlands. People of the valley think Nausicaä is at best strange and at worst idiotic for spending so much time in the toxic forest, but she has come to realize that the only way to live on this world is to fully embrace its nature. When one can live in harmony with the world around him, even the most dangerous or unlikeable aspects of it, only then will nature cooperate with man.

Being an early film in the studio’s filmography, without some of the animation technology that would come along in the 90s and 2000s, the style is much more course — this, of course, aids the film with its darker themes. The look of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is very similar to televised action cartoons for the 80s, like Masters of the Universe or G.I. Joe, both obviously inspired by Japanese anime at the time. The level of detail and vibrant reds and blues used throughout the world bring it a step above your run-of-the-mill American television cartoon.

Technically not an official Studio Ghibli film (which was founded in 1985, one year after Nausicaä’s release), it fits in its artistic detail, emphasis on the environment and family, and complete depth of these themes. But with its rougher edges (in both narrative and animation) it doesn’t quite have the charm or inherent beauty of other Ghibli films. It may not be your best introduction into the series, but it is definitely a film worth seeing.