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  Average Rating for Tales From Earthsea [2007] - 4 out of 5

  
  (based on 1 user reviews)
• Tales From Earthsea [2007]

  Erin Britton 31 January 2008

  

  Ursula K. Le Guin"s Earthsea Quartet are among the most popular fantasy novels of all time and so expectation for the film was understandably, even more so since it was to be a Studio Ghibli production (the first since 2005"s highly successful Howl"s Moving Castle). When thinking of Studio Ghibli, the first name that pops to mind is undoubtedly the great Hayao Miyazaki, arguably the greatest living anime director, and it was he who was originally intended to be the director of Tales From Earthsea. Unfortunately perhaps, when production started on Earthsea, Hayao Miyazaki was still working on Howl"s Moving Castle and so his son Goro stepped in to take over directing duties, causing a rather public rift with his father who did not think Goro should be given Earthsea as his first feature project. While Goro Miyazaki has certainly taken Earthsea in a different direction to the one to be expected from Hayao, Goro tells a rather epic and serious tale while Hayao more often produces a personal, humane and touchingly humorous story, Tales From Earthsea is still an amazingly beautiful and enchanting film. In an amalgamation of the final two books in the quartet, Tales From Earthsea follows the young Prince Arren as he is forced to confront his views on life and mortality following a terrible crime. Fleeing from his home at the palace, Arren falls into the company of the mysterious wizard Sparrowhawk. It is a time of great upheaval in Earthsea as people begin acting savagely, magic fades and dragons appear in the land of men. Sparrowhawk and Arren must join together with old friend Tenar and troubled orphan Therru to thwart the plans of evil wizard Lord Cob and bring peace back to Earthsea. The animation and soundtrack, as ever from Studio Ghibli, are excellent and the plot is engaging, although the main characters could perhaps have been further developed and concepts such as true names and the origins of the dragons that were almost casually mentioned could have been explained further. Despite a few minor flaws, Tales From Earthsea is another gem in the Studio Ghibli canon and a truly delightful film to watch.

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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. Adapted from Ursula K. Le Guin's beloved children's fantasy book series, this animated film from Studio Ghibli marks the directorial debut of Goro Miyazaki , the son of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki ('Spirited Away', 'Howl's Moving Castle') . A strange force is disturbing the natural harmony in the land of Earthsea. Dragons are fighting, magic is dying out, and humanity is falling into chaos and disorder. Haunted by inner demons, Prince Arren stabs his father and absconds with the king's sword. He meets master wizard Ged and a strange young girl named Therru and finds friendship and protection. A dark shadow, however, continues to haunt Arren, drawing him closer to the evil sorcerer Cob whose quest for eternal life is destroying the balance between the realm of the living and the dead. To save Earthsea, Arren must stop Cob, but Arren himself is desending into darkness.

Adapted from Ursula K. Le Guin's beloved children's fantasy book series, this animated film from Studio Ghibli marks the directorial debut of Goro Miyazaki , the son of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki ('Spirited Away', 'Howl's Moving Castle') . A strange force is disturbing the natural harmony in the land of Earthsea. Dragons are fighting, magic is dying out, and humanity is falling into chaos and disorder. Haunted by inner demons, Prince Arren stabs his father and absconds with the king's sword. He meets master wizard Ged and a strange young girl named Therru and finds friendship and protection. A dark shadow, however, continues to haunt Arren, drawing him closer to the evil sorcerer Cob whose quest for eternal life is destroying the balance between the realm of the living and the dead. To save Earthsea, Arren must stop Cob, but Arren himself is desending into darkness.