Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Kaze no tani no Naushika) (1985)

One of the most weirdly, wonderfully built worlds of Hayao Miyazaki...

Gives children a legitimately hopeful and enduring lesson about doing the right thing in times of crisis.

Hayao Miyazaki's second feature (based on the first two volumes of his own manga) and often considered Studio Ghibi's debut despite being produced before it's formation. It might as well be considered part of the Ghibli cannon since this is where Miyazaki's signature style finally came into focus. All the familiar themes and tropes of his works are present: strong female leads, environmental themes, Miyazaki's love for planes, absence of traditional villains (every character has a morally sympathetic motivation), and his unique sense of epic grandeur. The animation is a bit rough around the edges but it is still breath-taking even by today's standards; the awesome plane battle, the herd of giant mutant insects, the graceful scenes of Nausicaa effortlessly gliding through the air, and the sequence involving a super weapon known as "The Giant Warrior" are the definite highlights. Nausicaa is a decent protagonist because she is very mature for her age and possesses a deeper understanding for the world than even the adults. She may come off as a bit too perfect or complainy at times but nevertheless you sympathize with her as she tries to protect her people, who are caught between an awfully chaotic three-way war. One of Miyazaki's biggest talents is being able to draw you into the film's universe with an eye for detail and organic characters that seem to jump out of the screen (a lot of the times, Miyazaki's animated characters come off as more real than even people in live-action films). The post-apocalyptic setting is suitably dreary but the charming array of relatable characters and subtle humorous moments gives the film tender charm, making it perfect for audiences both young and old. Despite it's heavy handed environmental subtext (that becomes just plain text at times) and Miyazaki telling a similar story in the much superior 'Princess Mononoke', this post-nuclear war fable is an epic movie that is still worth seeing. We wouldn't have gotten all the other wonderful works of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli if it weren't for this flick.

Stunning animation, memorable characters, and a timeless message inhabit Hayao Miyazaki's earliest masterpiece. Though it's environmental lecturing is a bit obvious and it looks dated compared to Studio Ghibli's later efforts, "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" remains both a benchmark in the world of animation and a brilliant work of cinema. There is a power and grace here rarely present in other films; animated or not.