An incredible achievement in animation

Rating: 10/10 (2 November 2003)

Not only better than anything you're likely to see from the Disney school of factory filmworks, but quite possibly THE best animated film ever made. The sheer imagination, artistry, and detail in every frame of this work is breathtaking. I applaud Miramax for leaving the American release unedited, both for length and content.
Of course, serious fans of Japanese animation will be watching the subtitled version in the original Japanese language. But given that the majority of American viewers will go with the default dub, a few comments on that version are in order. The voices are a mixed bag; Danes and Crudup are merely adequate; nothing any competent voice-actor couldn't have pulled off, but a bit lacking in passion at times. When emotion is expressed, Danes can come off a bit on the whiny side. Thornton's southern accent, though he tries to conceal it, is a bit distracting set among the visuals of historical Japan. Minnie Driver and Gillian Anderson are both quite good, however, and bring great gravity and dimension to their roles. Flawed as it is, it still stands as one of the best dub jobs imported anime has to offer (though not up to the standard of the excellent Akira dub on the special edition DVD).
Thematically, this is like a return to Miayazaki's roots. Its elements of man's declaration of war on the environment, and the environment subsequently fighting back are reminiscent of his first film, Nausicaa. Of course, the animation, breathtaking background work, and sheer attention to detail bring a level of beauty that Nausicaa couldn't match in its day. Also worth noting is composer and longtime Miyazaki collaborator Joe Hisaishi, who presents one of the best works of his career here.
For fans of Miyazaki, the brilliance of this film will not come as a shock, but for everyone else, it should be quite an eye-opener. Just don't show it to your children expecting a Happy Meal cross-over with cute sidekicks and musical numbers.