LATEST NEWS
Ghibli's Tales from Earthsea Finally Hits Theaters This August
by Alex Billington
May 17, 2010
Source: Ain't It Cool News
By hitting theaters, I mean US theaters, because Tales from Earthsea actually hit theaters in Japan way, way back in 2006. Disney has announced (via Ain't It Cool News) that the film will hit theaters on August 13th, the same fall release date they gave to Ponyo last year. This release will also be re-dubbed into English (damn them!) and feature voices from Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe, Cheech Marin and Mariska Hargitay. That's also exactly why I will not be seeing this, because I hate dubbed Studio Ghibli movies and didn't like Ponyo's English version (I prefer subtitles). But I am at least happy to see Ghibli movies hitting US theaters.
Tales from Earthsea, or Gedo Senki, was directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son Goro Miyazaki, who directed this after he was asked to draw the storyboards for the film by producer Toshio Suzuki. The film is loosely based on a combination of plots and characters from the first, third, and fourth novels in Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea series. The fantastical story (as is always expected from Ghibli) is about Ged, a wandering wizard, who investigates the appearance of dragons in the Earthsea kingdom. During his journeys, he meets the Prince Arren, a young distraught teenage boy who has a severe dark side, which grants him strength, hatred, ruthlessness and has no mercy, especially when it comes to protecting Teru. Sounds like it could be good.
The reaction to the release of the movie in Japan was mixed. Goro Miyazaki was given the "Worst Director" award in Bunshun's Raspberry Awards and Ursula K. Le Guin, author of the Earthsea series, said that the weak points of the film were the result of "when too much responsibility was shouldered by someone not equipped for it." That said, when I first started the site, this was the next Ghibli film coming up, but then Ponyo came out in the US first, so I still want to see this. You can check out an old Japanese trailer below and we'll keep you updated on Disney's release plans for this in fall. Anyone interested in seeing this?
29 Comments
1
I thought the movie was pretty good, but Goro definitely isn't his father. Unfortunately, a US dub means it will be less than pretty good...
Dark Fist on May 17, 2010
2
I don't know. I'd rather look at the animation than text at the bottom of the screen. I'd still rather watch a live action movie with subtitles, but when it comes to animation, well, it's about the animation.
Luke on May 17, 2010
3
Why is this being redubbed when there was already an English dub done for it? It's included on the Japanese DVD release.
Mike on May 17, 2010
4
5
I hate to break it to you but all Miyazaki films (and all other animated movies) are dubbed. Roger Ebert: "Already I have heard from a few people who don’t want to see it “because it’s Japanese.” This is solid-gold ignorance. “Is it only dubbed?” I was asked. You dummy! All animated films are dubbed! Little Nemo can’t really speak! "
chris c on May 17, 2010
6
#5 yeah but they are lip synced to the original language. people still pick up a difference between what the mouth is doing and the words.
scotty on May 17, 2010
7
one of the. worst. film, scratch, movie i've ever seen. well, understandable since it's the son's fault. he doesn't have a soul in making films
Jacksion on May 17, 2010
8
I actually bought the DVD in Finland like 1,5years ago and still havent watched it :/ Heard it wasnt that good and i never had the urge to watch it. Maybe i should.
coswell on May 17, 2010
9
For me it isn't the lips matching up so much as the poor voice actors. Also because they're trying to match up the english words to the lips, typically the dubbed script is crap compared to subtitled, which is more true to the story that the original author intended. At least that's my opinion. Ghibli typically does pretty good in either format, however. I recently started watching a new anime show called "Darker than Black." The dubbed was pretty much unwatchable -- the characters came off as shallow and dumb, the plot unrealistic and just as shallow. I re-watched it in subtitled, and immediately it became a much better show. Again, this is probably just my opinion.
dRailer on May 17, 2010
10
I want to see this. I was very disappointed in Ponyo, so hopefully this will be better.
SkaOreo on May 17, 2010
11
This isn't a "miyazaki" film in the classic sense. The director of "howl's moving castle" and "princess mononoke" didn't make this film it was his less talented son...studio ghibli makes plenty of films without Miyazaki...and also, how can you not love the English language version of Princess Mononoke? It's truly a great translation of the original work! I can understand not loving the Spirited Away English langauge track, but I fail to see how they're worse than any other anime English dubs out there...at least the Americanac actors they get try to instill some life into the characters...I can totally understand not liking American dubbed live action Asian releases, 99.9 perecet of them are terrible. I've always felt that cartoons, when dubbed well, are an exception.
Linkfx on May 17, 2010
12
I want to see this too, but, from certain reviews, i won't come in with expectations like those i had from spirited away or howl's moving castle. American dub from Ghibli is not completely terrible some times. Like howl's moving castle and spirited away, those were pretty good, if not better than the original. However, i hated Castle in the Sky. I just couldn't watch it. It was a good movie, but the voices sucked.
Andante on May 17, 2010
13
It has a wonderful score, and beautiful scenery. But the plot was complete garbage without a single likeable character driving the story.
shadow on May 17, 2010
14
@ #2 Luke: Such a distinction should not be made between live-action and animated films. Whether live-action or animated, films can be either visual-driven, story-driven, script-driven, or whatever they're made out to be. I would say animation should be viewed the same way that cinematography and the other visual aspects of live-action films are. While they can *often* be the driving force of a film, they aren't *always*.
Dark Fist on May 17, 2010
15
Being a major fan of Miyazaki Sr., I just had to watch "Tales from Earthsea", so I rented it on DVD here in France. Well, I can't remember one single thing of it. It was like a soul-less clone of a Hayao Miyazaki movie: the animation and character design was there, but nothing else. Sad.
Alex C. on May 18, 2010
16
I saw it. wasn't that impresed with it. it was ok for the first 2/3 then the end just didn't make any sense.
bill on May 18, 2010
17
uh good? they're not doing it for you, alex, they dub it for the kids to enjoy. buy it.
Jimbone on May 19, 2010
18
People keep calling Goro ' less tallented ', im not sure about that, for a first feature he did a superb job. The reason why Goro isn't as good yet as his father is simply because of experience, Hayao Miyazaki had around 20 years of experience in television before directing his first feature film Lupin the 3rd, Goro had no such experience and to come out with such a good film with so little experience shows he definatly has tallented, less tallented? At the moment yes but i dont think he will always be regarded in the same way, takes time to grow a reputation like his father did and its much harder for him to due to the added pressure built up simply because he's hayao's son.
kbirrane on May 22, 2010
19
That's true, and i agree. I don't think that Miyazaki Sr.'s first movie was as brilliant as they are now, so it would be wrong to expect so much from his son.
Andante on May 22, 2010
20
Why are Ghibli allowed to continue pouring out their sludge? This studio is as mediocre as they come, nowhere near the originality or quality of Pixar. Someone needs to nuke their studio and be done with them.
SlashBeast on Jun 6, 2010
21
@ 20 does pixar draw their animations too? last i checked pixar makes awesome Cg animation. both are great BECAUSE they BOTH have quality release and originality. your comparing 2 different aspects of the same medium. if you want to watch the movie rather than read its book, watch the movie dont burn the book ^_^ as for earthsea if they wanted to addapt the story from the book they should have just started from the beginning but oh well :I
Shyguy on Jun 18, 2010
22
oh yeah this movie has been out in australia in dual language dvd for like 2 years so what gives @_@
Shyguy on Jun 18, 2010
23
#21 - Shyguy Don't make strawmen, they're animation studios, it doesn't matter what animation they use. And they're a shit studio as well, depressingly mediocre compared to Pixar.
SlashBeast on Jul 4, 2010
24
Ugh, hackhouse Studio Ghibli is pouring out more of their cinematic sludge? These guys are ruining animation. Pixar will continue to ejaculate directly in their faces because their movies have a compulsive need to have interesting characters, developed stories and narratives that actually make sense. Fuck these shiteaters.
Glass on Jul 4, 2010
25
@#14. When it's live action, I like hearing the language. It's cool. When it's voice actors on the other hand, they usually sound so funny that it really bothers me and I'd just rather hear crazy voices in English then another language and also have to read what they're saying. There's a big difference.
Luke on Aug 1, 2010
26
I'm addressing this to slashbeast and glass, because you two are obviously the dumbest fucks in existance. I'm a huge pixar and studio ghibli. Of course animation wise they are not on par as only retards would compare 3d and 2d animation on a technical level. But story wise, i think both studios make incredibly unique and well written movies, and studio ghibli's totally owns anything done by disney in recent years. Don't come on this site and just run your mouths as you please....If the narrative doesnt make sense to you, you're probably just stupid. And I'm really looking forward to tales from the earthsea.
Vmaster on Aug 23, 2010
27
^ Shut your mouth you spawn of a trailer-park orgy. Studio Ghibli are very poor storytellers. The fantasy presented in many of their movies is just bedtime-story gobbledygook with stilted plotting, muddled internal logic and flat characters. Most of their works lack significant narrative arcs and fail to build dramatic conflict. Seemingly large and important events are built-up but just fizzle-out when it comes to the climax and ending.
Glass on Nov 22, 2010
28
#26 - Vmaster Most people acclaim Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki because they're foreign. If Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away were produced by an American company with American voice actors and directed by Americans, and EVERYTHING WAS EXACTLY THE SAME, same script, same dialogue, same camera shots, same visual effects, same EVERYTHING - then everybody would be criticizing how the narratives don't make sense and they'd likely be forgotten about within a few months of release.
SlashBeast on Nov 28, 2010
29
Then it wouldn't have the touch of ghibli. what a dumb counterargument. Its like getting another chef to make a recipe its just not the bloody same.You statement is also hypothetical which bears no reality to the argument.Â
Pilgrim UK on Sep 4, 2011
New comments are no longer allowed on this post.
FEATURED POSTS
FOLLOW FS HERE
Follow Alex's main account on Twitter:
Add our posts to your Feedly › click here
Get all the news sent on Telegram 
LATEST TO WATCH