As Miyazaki's first film based on his own story (he previously directed the Lupin III movie, The Castle of Cagliostro), Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind establishes all of his thematic obsessions: the wonder of flight, the strength of women, the horror of war, the power of nature.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is the film that started Studio Ghibli's rise to fame in earnest. Technically, it was a Topcraft production, but it's retroactively considered the first Ghibli film. As Miyazaki's first film based on his own story (he previously directed the Lupin III movie, The Castle of Cagliostro), Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind establishes all of his thematic obsessions: the wonder of flight, the strength of women, the horror of war, the power of nature.