Tales from Earthsea Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Tales from Earthsea Blu-ray Movie Review

A valiant effort falls short of greatness...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown February 4, 2015

With Disney's latest trio of Studio Ghibli titles hitting shelves, only four feature films remain unreleased: Isao Takahata's Only Yesterday (1991) and My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999), Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning Spirited Away (2001), and Hiroyuki Morita's The Cat Returns (2002). And while three of the four are among Ghibli's more obscure projects, it wouldn't be naïve to expect title announcements for each within the next year. In addition to Disney, Cinedigm and, most recently, Universal, have ensured the full Ghibli canon will soon be available on Blu-ray, and in light of rumors that the studio will be shuttering its doors, that's some much-needed good news. But that's the uncertain future. The present, strong and certain, lies with Pom Poko (1994), Takahata's deliriously bizarre, strangely endearing fable of shape-shifting raccoon dogs who declare war on their industrious human neighbors; Porco Rosso (1992), Hayao Miyazaki's adventurous, delightfully funny celebration of early aviation; and Tales from Earthsea (2006), a resplendent but flawed fantasy adaptation from Gorō Miyazaki and co-writer Keiko Niwa that marks one of the few -- perhaps only -- Studio Ghibli misfires.

"Only in silence the word, only in dark the light, only in dying life: bright the hawk's flight on the empty sky."

Based on the classic "Earthsea" fantasy book series by Ursula K. Le Guin, Gorō Miyazaki's adaptation is set in a mythical world filled with magic and bewitchment. In the land of Earthsea, crops are dwindling, dragons have reappeared and humanity is giving way to chaos. Journey with Lord Archmage Sparrowhawk (Bunta Sugawara/Timothy Dalton), a master wizard, and Arren (Junichi Okada/Matt Levin), a troubled young prince, on a tale of redemption and self-discovery as they search for the force behind the mysterious imbalance that threatens to destroy their world. The English dub also features the voice talents of Willem Defoe, Blaire Restaneo, Mariska Hargitay and Cheech Marin.

There's no mistaking Tales from Earthsea as anything other than a Studio Ghibli film. And yet as the meandering, often wayward fantasy unfolds, it stops feeling like a Ghibli film and begins registering as something more akin to a Ghibli approximation. Behind the scenes, the production was troubled from the start. Unable to secure the rights to the "Earthsea" books over the course of several years, Hayao Miyazaki had all but given up on the possibility that any deal would be struck. After Spirited Away became an international success, though, Le Guin had a change of heart and finally signed the dotted line. Not that acquiring the rights helped matters. Miyazaki was well into the production of Howl's Moving Castle, with additional films on the horizon. Ghibli president Toshio Suzuki, whether by haste or miscalculation, made the decision to pass the Earthsea reigns to Hayao's son, Gorō; a move the elder Miyazaki strenuously opposed, wounding the son and (temporarily) deepening a rift between the two.

In the opening entry of his Tales from Earthsea production blog, Gorō touches on his father's opposition, but goes silent on the matter for weeks. The first hint at an explanation come some forty entries later, after the younger Miyazaki shares a heartbreaking overview of his childhood that culminates in this: "For me, Hayao Miyazaki gets zero marks as a father but full marks as a director of animated films." He goes on to write, "Ever since I can remember, at the same time as enjoying them, I have been watching Hayao Miyazaki's works to understand my father." His promise to address the aforementioned rift is abruptly abandoned. It's clear from these more personal entries that the sting is too great to press on. Other entries in the blog, combined with Suzuki's comments on the subject, indicate Hayao believed his son was not yet equipped with the necessary experience and skills to helm a feature film; a charge Gorō doesn't deny but only strengthens in his blog, where he details the accelerated trial-and-error learning process and fundamentals training he underwent while fulfilling his directorial duties.

Of the final film, Hayao said, "It was made honestly, so it was good." (A comment relayed to Gorō via a third party, color designer Michiyo Yasuda.) Gorō reacted to Hayao's words by writing, "Of all the things he has said until now, those words of my father's brought the most joy to me." In a separate screening, Le Guin offered her impression to Gorō by way of his translator. "It is not my book. It is your film. It is a good film." He writes, "I think that there were really a lot more things she wanted to say, but even so, she said these words to me with a smile. I thought, I want to accept these short words with simple heartfelt gratitude." And with that, Gorō's time with Tales from Earthsea came to an end. Japanese critics and audiences were quite kind to the film, praising its ambition but noting that it didn't stack up to other Studio Ghibli productions. International reaction was a bit harsher, particularly in the U.S., where the movie was met with a shoulder shrug and mixed reviews.

Cruel as Hayao Miyazaki's opposition may seem, though, Tales from Earthsea is without question the product of a more inexperienced director. You can sense it long before digging into Gorō Miyazaki's blog, learning of his father's objections, or reading about his struggles to adapt to the directorial process even as the film was being animated. The story waxes and wanes. The first two acts are dull, somewhat uninteresting and lack that patented Ghibli "hook." The pacing is sleepy, only to lurch awake with a climactic battle on the docket. Plenty of things transpire yet very little actually happens. The young characters are difficult and frequently alienating. The rules of the world aren't set or defined, nor is its magic, mythology or history. Even the designs and animation stagnate here and there (with main villain Cob especially). The hand-drawn visuals are lovely on the whole, beautiful even, but the end result doesn't always resonate or "wow" as substantially or profoundly as Ghibli productions of the past or present. It's a decent film, "made honestly" -- I'd add sincerely to the list -- but it's not a great film, nor one that heralds a dynasty of Miyazaki-family masterpieces. With more experience, the son might one day stand shoulder to shoulder with the father. From Up on Poppy Hill, Gorō Miyazaki's second film (co-written by Hayao), was a vast improvement, and as far as I'm concerned, one of the best animated films of 2011. With continued guidance, Studio Ghibli may survive Hayao Miyazaki's retirement and pass into the hands of Gorō and a new generation of animators and filmmakers. One can only hope the mistakes of Earthsea won't be repeated.

Tales from Earthsea Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

If nothing else, Disney's Tales from Earthsea Blu-ray features a flawless AV presentation anchored by a terrific 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode. Colors are disarming, boasting beautiful watercolor hues, stirring primaries, and satisfying black levels. Contrast and clarity are consistent and consistently striking, with crisp line art, well-preserved painted background textures, and every nuance of the animators' craft. The film's unobtrusive grain field is intact too, and there aren't any distractions to report. Artifacting, banding, aliasing, ringing, errant noise, even print specks are either nowhere to be found or kept to the barest of minimums. This is Tales from Earthsea as it was meant to be seen.

Tales from Earthsea Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release of Tales from Earthsea offers lossless English and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 surround tracks. Both are excellent, with clear, perfectly prioritized dialogue, absorbing soundfields, and full-bodied, seven-channel support of Tamiya Terashima's grand, sweeping score. Low-end output is bold and assertive, lending power to strong winds, crashing waves, conjured spells and other weighty or abrasive elements in the soundscape. Rear speaker activity doesn't disappoint either, even though several scenes are a bit front-heavy. It's engaging without fault, but mainly by way of music, ambience and atmosphere. (After Sparrowhawk rescues Arren from the slave traders, note the crickets, the rustling grass, soft footfalls, rising wind and other effects that seem to swirl all around. It's subtle but absolutely wonderful.) The world of Earthsea remains inviting and enveloping from castle to field to farm and beyond, without anything that might contribute to an underwhelming experience.

Tales from Earthsea Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Japanese Storyboards (HD, 116 minutes): Watch the entire film comprised of its original storyboards. This is not a Picture-in-Picture comparison, but a 1.85:1 showcase of the original artwork.
• Behind the Studio: Origins of Earthsea (SD, 4 minutes): A brief, very brief, look at the genesis, development and execution of Tales from Earthsea. Unfortunately, there's little insight offered, and little indication as to why the end result fell short of expectation.
• The Birth Story of a Film Soundtrack (SD, 60 minutes): Much better is this hour-long documentary about the creation of the film's score by Tamiya Terashima. More absorbing than the movie it accompanies, "Birth" begins with Terashima's hiring and charges ahead without flinching; touching on his battles with the director and studio, his use of various cultural inspirations and ethnic instruments, and the filmmakers' growing fondness for Terashima's melodies, instrumentation and finalized pieces, captured candidly in behind-the-scenes footage that features Miyazaki and his team listening to several selections for the first time. Extensive interviews pull the documentary together and leave no stone unturned. This is, hands down, one of the best extras to be included on any North American Studio Ghibli Blu-ray release.
• Original Japanese Trailers & TV Spots (HD, 10 minutes): Three special previews and three full-length theatrical trailers round out Tales from Earthsea's supplemental package.

Tales from Earthsea Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tales from Earthsea is an unfortunate misstep born from production woes and inexperience. It has the makings of an excellent film, but the execution is lacking. One can only imagine what it might have been had Hayao Miyazaki helmed the project, or if director Gorō Miyazaki had more time to acquire all he needed to fully realize Ursula K. Le Guin's fantasy world. It's not a bad film, but it isn't all that good either. Disney's Blu-ray release is much better, with an outstanding video encode, a pair of terrific lossless 6.1 audio tracks, and a nice selection of supplements, among them a feature-length presentation of the film's storyboards and an hour-long look at the development of Earthsea's score.