He has been called the greatest animator since Walt Disney. But only a handful of his marvelous films are available in the United States. Choosing flights of fancy over those of industry, Hayao Miyazaki went to work for Toei Animation shortly after graduating college. The world was poisoned. Now scattered pockets of human culture struggle against Nature.
Nature here is poisonous and hostile, and humans are forbidden.
Nature will strike them down. Over the course of the film, Nausicaa becomes embroiled in a plot by a neighboring kingdom to use the last great weapon remaining from the old days to destroy the forest and reclaim the world for humanity. In order for the cure to be effective, for the earth to be healed, Nature needs to be left alone. The toxic forests must be kept at bay, but left to do their work. The distinction between Nature and Culture is left intact.