Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Movie, 1984, The '80s, Set in A toxic jungle
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is #1 of 25 in release order and #1 of 25 in chronological order in the Studio Ghibli.
The story
After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind recap
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) follows a princess who studies a toxic jungle of giant insects as warring kingdoms plan to burn it with a bioweapon. Hayao Miyazaki wrote and directed this adaptation of his own manga at Topcraft, a year before he co-founded Studio Ghibli; it is usually counted among the studio's films. A thousand years after the Seven Days of Fire ended civilisation, Nausicaä (Sumi Shimamoto) explores the jungle and calms its armoured Ohm. A Tolmekian cargo plane crashes in her valley carrying the embryo of a Giant Warrior, one of the bioweapons that destroyed the old world. Princess Kushana (Yoshiko Sakakibara) invades, Nausicaä's father is killed, and Kushana plans to hatch the Warrior to burn the jungle. Shot down with the Pejite pilot Asbel (Yōji Matsuda), Nausicaä finds clean air beneath the jungle and learns that its trees are purifying the poisoned soil.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind ending explained
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind ends with the Pejites luring a stampede of enraged Ohm toward the valley with a wounded baby. The half-formed Giant Warrior melts after one blast, and Nausicaä returns the baby and stands in the stampede's path. She is trampled, then revived by the Ohm's golden tendrils, fulfilling the prophecy of a figure in blue walking on a golden field. The manga, which Miyazaki finished in 1994, carries the story much further and darker.
Post-credits scenes
No. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is streaming on HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.0/10, Rotten Tomatoes 87%
Where it fits
- Release order: first, before Castle in the Sky.
- Chronological order: first, before Castle in the Sky.
Cast
- Sumi Shimamoto as Nausicaä (voice)
- Ichiro Nagai as Mito (voice)
- Gorō Naya as Yupa (voice)
- Yoji Matsuda as Asbel (voice)
- Yoshiko Sakakibara as Kushana (voice)
- Iemasa Kayumi as Kurotowa (voice)
- Hisako Kyoda as Obaba (voice)
- Mahito Tsujimura as Jihl (voice)
- Mina Tominaga as Lastel (voice)
- Kohei Miyauchi as Gol (voice)
- Joji Yanami as Gikkuri (voice)
- Minoru Yada as Niga (voice)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki.