Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

The only princess story worth watching.

Synopsis

Nausicaa might be the princess but she doesn't wait for her prince to be happily wedded. She doesn't take century-long naps nor does she have slaves *coughs* sorry, house help. It's thousand years after the war that almost wiped out the whole of the human race. The earth is a hostile place with poisonous winds and giant insect-like Ohms, living in toxic forests. Nausicaa protects the Valley of Wind from any dangers of this post-apocalyptical world. One day, a ship from a powerful state of Tolmekians crashes in the Valley of the Wind. Turns out that the leader of Tolmekians- Princess Kushana plans to awake the Giant Warrior and with his aid, destroy the forest. People of the Valley of the Wind know that this could only mean a war between Ohms and humans.

Review
The character of Nausicaa was born out of two wonderful stories: a tale about Nauiscad from 'The Odyssey' and a princess mentioned in 'The tales of the past and present' (source). Miyazaki became fascinated with Nauiscad after reading Japanese translation of a small book on Greek mythology. When he got to read 'The Odyssey' he thought it didn't deliver on the sheer awesomness of this heroine. As Miyazaki imagined from reading the Japanese book 'Nausicaa was a beautiful and fanciful girl, quick on her feet. She loved playing the harp and singing more than the attention of her suitors or pursuing earthly comforts. She took delight in nature and had an especially sensitive personality. It was she who, unafraid, saved Odysseus and nursed his wounds when he drifted ashore covered with blood. Nausicaa soothed his spirit by improvising a sing for him.' The heroine from 'The tales of the past and present' was called the "princess that loved insects." Miyazaki states that 'she was regarded as an eccentric because even after reaching marriageable age, she still loved to play in the fields and would be enchanted the transformations of a pupa into a butterfly. Her eyebrows were dark and her teeth white - unlike the other girls of her era, she did not follow the custom of shaving off her eyebrows and blackening her teeth. According to Tales, she looked very strange!' I think that this amazing creative process behind the movie tells an equally mesmerising tale, as the film itself. Nausicaa was born out of stories about strong, independent women who were regarded as outcasts by their societies because they broke the patriarchal rules. That's how you re-define the ridiculous Disney cliches!

In the movie, Nausicaa flies this: