Like all Studio Ghibli movies, it’s got strong visuals, but it doesn’t hold your interest.
Arguably the only true dud in the Studio Ghibli catalogue is this very loose adaptation of the beloved Earthsea series of books by Ursula K. Le Guin. The story goes that Hayao Miyazaki had been interested in adapting these stories since the early ’80s, but the author had been reticent about anyone adapting her books, changing her mind after the international success of Spirited Away. The problem was that Hayao Miyazaki was off working on Howl’s Moving Castle and so the project was handed off to his son, Gorō Miyazaki, directing here for the first time. Gorō Miyazaki would go on to direct a much better Ghibli film, but this one got away from him, probably owing to his lack of experience. At times it’s nearly incomprehensible and so narratively removed from the books that Le Guin was reportedly disappointed. Like all Studio Ghibli movies, it’s got strong visuals, but it doesn’t hold your interest.