Wolff rating: GOOD
Plot summary: Boy struck down by rotting forest demon goes on quest to see the world unclouded by hate.
Biased, pithy comments: Striking film by master craftsman and storyteller Miyazaki is visual splendor at a third the price of Disney. The characters are strongly drawn (literally and figuratively) and the themes universal and fascinating, and Miyazaki has made a world that is as real and beautiful as Frank L. Baum's Oz. I was a little let down after the non-stop action in his previous movie, ``Laputa'', and some of the jumbled Shinto/eco themes were less accessible to me than ``Laputa'' 's guns and steam trains, but it's still an excellent film. Voice acting in American translation is actually quite good, with Jada Pinkett probably the best.
How many times I have seen it:
Starring: Many American voice actors, many Japanese drawn actors
Directed by: Miyazaki