The Kingdom of Enlad is in ruins. As crops dwindle and dragons reappear, mankind stands on the verge of total chaos. Lord Sparrowhawk, a powerful wizard, and Arren, a troubled young prince, search for the force behind this mysterious imbalance that threatens to destroy the land of Earthsea, in a tale of redemption and self-discovery full of adventure and peril.
Studio Ghibli does Earthsea: Miyazaki Goro (Hayao’s son) takes on the challenge of Ursula K LeGuin’s beloved fantasy world, some two decades after the Studio first approached the author. (She initially turned them down, never having seen a Ghibli film… when she did, she changed her mind.) Although Tales from Earthsea was received with mild disappointment in 2006, its stock has risen in recent years. By all measures, it takes extreme liberties with LeGuin’s stories, and it cannot hope to match the novels in the world-building department. But Goro’s movie bares a closer look. Not for nothing does it centre on an act of patricide, with Prince Arwen a clear stand-in for Miyazaki junior, haunted by his guilt and pursued by his own shadowy doppelganger. The movie is potent with myth and philosophy, and, yes, there be dragons…
Sunday matinee: English language version. Monday evening: Japanese with English subtitles.
Some violent scenes.
Presenting Partner
Media Partner
Goro Miyazaki
Japan
2006
Matinee: English
Evening: In Japanese with English subtitles
All Ages Welcome
Note: Contains some violent scenes
Indigenous & Community Access
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