Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

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Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

PG

1985

1h 58m

Fantasy

Anime

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Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Far in the future, after an apocalyptic conflict has devastated much of the world's ecosystem, the few surviving humans live in scattered semi-hospitable environments within what has become a "toxic jungle." Young Nausicaä lives in the arid Valley of the Wind and can communicate with the massive insects that populate the dangerous jungle. Under the guidance of the pensive veteran warrior, Lord Yupa, Nausicaä works to bring peace back to the ravaged planet.

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Michael Sragow

The New Yorker

When mammoth dandelions puff out spores, the sight is as seductive as it is lethal.

Apr 1, 2013

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Tasha Robinson

AV Club

Nausica is in some ways a grim and serious film, but it mixes a sweet optimism into its horror-filled lessons.

Aug 10, 2009

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Carson Timar

ClapperCast

It is insane to go back to this and see how strong Miyazaki already is with scope, size, and purpose. This is such a big story but it is masterfully controlled and focused.

Apr 6, 2025

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Diana Tuova

Loud and Clear Reviews

Beautifully revealing one complex world, Nausicaä is a wondrous, adventure-filled animation with a benevolent core.

Rated: 4.5/5

Nov 12, 2024

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

[Miyazaki's] Nature-first, humanity-second approach to environmentalism began here…these ideas were never more pure than in their first assembly, gathered by an idealistic young Japanese animator on the verge of changing the medium with his vision.

Rated: 4/4

Aug 22, 2023

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Jordan Brooks

Vague Visages

An adventure that lives in a place outside of time, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind offers a haggard reflection of humanity’s dark side before proclaiming hopefulness and love the ultimate victor.

Aug 1, 2023

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Lucas O

Rating: 89%. Much love to this movie. It embodies Ghibli with its wonderful animation, although a little dated now, and its unique world. I love dystopias and this was an interesting one. I loved the characters and it reminded me a lot of Princess Mononoke due to its underlying messages about living in harmony with nature. The voice acting was good (English) and I was surprised to later see some of the big names. The plot was entertaining and suspenseful with emotional moments. The sound and music was solid. (The one lalala song a bit odd, but it worked) My only critque is that the ending was a bit abrupt, and I wish we could have had a few more minutes of dialogue at the end to understand the implications of the final scene.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/29/25

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William C

One of the- Actually the best animated film I have ever watched, passing my other favourites like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Berserk. This is deeply emotional for me and cried at the end where she gave her life. I am amazed by how beautiful this was, and this is my first time giving a review, in my life. Thank you for this. This was the I've watched for long.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/20/25

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Ethan O.

Ghibli never ceases to amaze. This movie is beautiful with an impactful message

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/14/25

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Lore O

I think this might be Miyazaki's best movie. Highly underrated.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/08/25

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Petros T

I don't know if it's creativity or tripping balls, but there are lots of eye-popping concepts in the film's worldbuilding. However, they're not enough to make the film remotely interesting in the long run as it's plagued by constant exposition via monologues and dialogues, environmental messaging that's as subtle as getting run over by a bulldozer, non-existent character development, and a lack of nerve, passion and emotion, a constant flatness that makes even the grandest action scenes boring.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/27/25

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Sam F

An absolutely stunning movie with an important message in its core, especially now. Everyting to the animation and the plot is masterfully done and is and has been one of my favourite movies.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/24/25

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Hayao Miyazaki

Director

Shia LaBeouf

Asbel

Alison Lohman

Nausicaä

Patrick Stewart

Lord Yupa

Uma Thurman

Kushana

Chris Sarandon

Kurotowa

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Synopsis

Far in the future, after an apocalyptic conflict has devastated much of the world's ecosystem, the few surviving humans live in scattered semi-hospitable environments within what has become a "toxic jungle." Young Nausicaä lives in the arid Valley of the Wind and can communicate with the massive insects that populate the dangerous jungle. Under the guidance of the pensive veteran warrior, Lord Yupa, Nausicaä works to bring peace back to the ravaged planet.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Screenwriter: Hayao Miyazaki, Cindy Davis Hewitt, Donald H. Hewitt
Distributor: New World Pictures
Production Co: Studio Ghibli
Rating: PG (Violence)
Genre: Fantasy, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 13, 1985, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): May 19, 2024
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 16, 2019
Runtime: 1h 58m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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