Nausicaa: 4 1/2 *

James(age 7): *****5 stars. "I liked the Ohmu. I like the stampede of Ohmu. And I liked all the giant warriors attacking the city. I liked this better than "Totoro" because there was a lot of fighting and all the war. I liked it when Nausicaa's friend and Nausicaa found out when that city had a big battle and there were bugs lying everywhere and there were two dead ohmu. In the beginning she saw an ohmu shell and she cut the eye off to use it for materials, and the king died. And in the middle the soldiers took her away and that's when they started the war. And in the end they had a really big war and they brought out the baby giant warrior but it wasn't ready yet, so it just melted. And in the very very end the Ohmu stampede all got calm and the legend came true. And I liked the warrior that fought at the war. And I liked it when the sword master stuck a knife to a warrior's neck. And the warrior said nothing but 'This guy is tough.' I really loved the movie."

Jupiter (age 5): *****5 stars. "I liked that baby fox-squirrel. And I liked the glider. And I liked the baby Ohmu. I was scared when the giant lava warrior fighted. I didn't like it and it was mean. My favorite part was when she saved the baby ohmu. Nausicaa is bigger than an Ohmu. I liked it when she saved the baby Ohmu. I liked it when she was guiding the Ohmu back to the jungle."

Justice (age 3): *****5 stars. "Sixty eight. I gave it sixty-eight. I liked the baby Ohmu. And I liked the sword fighting."

Mama: ****4 stars. I can't believe how totally absorbed the kids were in this movie. Justice, who has danced and done acrobatics through almost every movie night in the past few months, sat raptly on Adam's lap, occasionally saying something like, "Where is the creature who left that shell?" Or "I don't trust that guy." James' eyes were alight when swarms of multi-eyed giant beatle monsters began their rampage. And thank goodness Princess Nausicaa had a pet fox-squirrel who went with her everywhere, so that Jupiter was engaged as well.

I did not like "Spirited Away" or "Totoro" so I didn't plan on enjoying this too much. Those stories however were much more whimsicial and episodic, and I must admit I have a Western aesthetic where there's a pay-off for everything. Also, people rave about the Miyazaki's animation, but I don't get it. Everything's gorgeously painted and fantastical, but characters don't even blink, movements are often jerky and there are huge sequences of stills where no one moves and you feel like they're skimping on the animation. And my uncanny valley gag reflex kicked in everytime Lord Yupa was on screen--he had a huge beard with no mouth, and it was wrong, just wrong, the way he spoke and that hair tumor on his face didn't move.

But..."Nausicaa" really was engaging! I found myself surprised at how I was drawn into the story, how the patience of the storytelling served to make me interested, instad of feeling the impatient distance I felt when watching "Totoro." The world was fascinating, a beautiful poinsonous, apocalyptic landscape full of marvel and danger. Who couldn't be delighted by all of those glider and airplane scenes? And Nausicaa was bold and fearless, constantly in motion saving everyone, the kind of Princess I'm happy to show to my girls.


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