Like father, like son. Director Goro Miyazaki’s debut anime Tales from Earthsea inherited the essence of his Academy Award-winning father’s works, which are well loved throughout the world.
Immediately exposed to the clear distinction between good and evil, strength of character, lost balance in nature, and sorcery, I knew by the minute I sat down that I was in for an engaging adventure of redemption and self-discovery.
Set to visually stunning colors, the film follows the journey of Lord Archmage Sparrowhawk (Timothy Dalton), as he looks for the force behind the imbalance and disturbance in the land of Earthsea, where slavery is proliferating, crops and livestock are declining, dragons are reappearing, and human morals are deteriorating.
On his journey, he saves Prince Arren, who has escaped from home and is being followed by a shadow. Taking him as an apprentice, Sparrowhawk continues his quest to restore the world’s equilibrium.
In the midst of finding the force, Sparrowhawk decides to stay temporarily at a farm of a kind lady named Tenar (Mariska Hargitay), an old acquaintance, and her adopted daughter, Therru. However, the evil wizard Lord Cob (Willem Dafoe) takes advantage of Sparrowhawk’s relationship with Tenar and compels all of them to come to his castle and remain under his control. Though in a hopeless state, the four of them decide to take a final strive.
What I like the most about this film is the characters’ ability to retain their inner strength and willpower despite being immersed in such a morally confusing world. Even though there are men selling ecstasy pills for short pleasure, women retailing fake fabrics for quick cash, and slave traders capturing little boys and girls for money, Sparrowhawk never loses his way—the only thing that leaks out of his eyes is determination.
While the film is of Japanese animation and seems more idealistic than realistic, the problems faced by the main characters can be analogous to the stress we face in today’s world. The characters have to journey through the vicissitudes of life, live in a morally confusing world, and figure out which side is the good side.
This anime by the younger Miyazaki, 43, seems to have continued his father, Hayao Miyazaki’s path in voicing out for protecting the environment and putting a limit to human greed. In order to fulfill his own desire for immortality, Cob uses his spell and disturbs the entire area. Similarly in senior Miyazaki’s “Princess Mononoke,” the Iron Town leader, Lady Eboshi, uncaringly deforests the surround area to make charcoal to smelt ironsand.
The film was first released in Japan by Studio Ghibli in 2006. It is set to be released on Aug. 13 in the United States by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is loosely based on American author Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea series.
[etRating value=“ 3.5”]
Immediately exposed to the clear distinction between good and evil, strength of character, lost balance in nature, and sorcery, I knew by the minute I sat down that I was in for an engaging adventure of redemption and self-discovery.
Set to visually stunning colors, the film follows the journey of Lord Archmage Sparrowhawk (Timothy Dalton), as he looks for the force behind the imbalance and disturbance in the land of Earthsea, where slavery is proliferating, crops and livestock are declining, dragons are reappearing, and human morals are deteriorating.
On his journey, he saves Prince Arren, who has escaped from home and is being followed by a shadow. Taking him as an apprentice, Sparrowhawk continues his quest to restore the world’s equilibrium.
In the midst of finding the force, Sparrowhawk decides to stay temporarily at a farm of a kind lady named Tenar (Mariska Hargitay), an old acquaintance, and her adopted daughter, Therru. However, the evil wizard Lord Cob (Willem Dafoe) takes advantage of Sparrowhawk’s relationship with Tenar and compels all of them to come to his castle and remain under his control. Though in a hopeless state, the four of them decide to take a final strive.
What I like the most about this film is the characters’ ability to retain their inner strength and willpower despite being immersed in such a morally confusing world. Even though there are men selling ecstasy pills for short pleasure, women retailing fake fabrics for quick cash, and slave traders capturing little boys and girls for money, Sparrowhawk never loses his way—the only thing that leaks out of his eyes is determination.
While the film is of Japanese animation and seems more idealistic than realistic, the problems faced by the main characters can be analogous to the stress we face in today’s world. The characters have to journey through the vicissitudes of life, live in a morally confusing world, and figure out which side is the good side.
This anime by the younger Miyazaki, 43, seems to have continued his father, Hayao Miyazaki’s path in voicing out for protecting the environment and putting a limit to human greed. In order to fulfill his own desire for immortality, Cob uses his spell and disturbs the entire area. Similarly in senior Miyazaki’s “Princess Mononoke,” the Iron Town leader, Lady Eboshi, uncaringly deforests the surround area to make charcoal to smelt ironsand.
The film was first released in Japan by Studio Ghibli in 2006. It is set to be released on Aug. 13 in the United States by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is loosely based on American author Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea series.
[etRating value=“ 3.5”]
