Does this look like the next Ghibli masterpiece?
0 voters
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This is the English version of the poorly acclaimed directional debut of Goro Miyazaki, Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Tales From Earthsea.
I like ANYTHING from Studio Ghibli, so this better not be letdown! 
It may look similar to HTTYD, but trust me; it will be better. 
(just kidding)
I’ve seen this before (with subs), and sadly, it is the worst Ghibli film in my opinion. It’s been years since I’ve seen it, so I need to watch it again sometime soon (and I might just wait until Disney releases it on DVD here in ze States), but… Goro is not the next Hayao. It’s a completely unfair comparison, too, and that’s probably what put him down the path of directing an animated film (although somewhere along the line he must have showed some insight and promise, which is not expressed through his actual product, Earthsea).
So, I’m a big Ghibli fan myself, but don’t get too excited over this one. Sorry. =(
I agree 100% with QOP. You’re better off looking forward to The Borrower Arrietty.
Haw-haw… I don’t know why America gets theatrical anime releases late (maybe an inverse situation of Japan with Western animation?). I watched this with my friends in my first year of study in Oz in this tiny cinema hall in an artsy picturehouse (sadly, anime films don’t get big releases in commercial cinemas back then). It was okay, but we were sorely disappointed. I can’t even remember what the story was about, and the animation was a little lacklustre (though the matte paintings were gorgeous, as is a Japanese tradition). And I don’t even recall if that dragon in the poster actually makes an appearance! I considered picking up the source novel, but I have a feeling like HTTYD, there is no plot resemblance whatsoever.
I’d say worth a Matinee or a rental at least. It still beats most of the Western competition for sheer beauty and poetic-ness, but it’s just… unremarkable.
As TDIT said it’s worth a matinee screening or a rental, but I might as well just take your advice and see The Borrower Arrietty, which is written by Hayao Miyazaki. 
Yeah, the HTTYD is verrry similar to it. I favor the original, however (that said, Dreamworks wins in terms of who made a better film).
Oh, this is only just being released in the US now? I saw it on DVD well over a year ago and yeah, as a Ghibli fan, I agree with the general consensus here. Honestly, there’s nothing massively wrong with it - it’s not the complete disasterpiece I was fearing from word-of-mouth, just very dull when compared to the studio’s greater works, and lacking in its own unique character.
That’s a valid point that I probably didn’t mention in my first post. The movie is not awful, but compared to the other Ghibli movies–even my least favorites of theirs–it pales hardcore.
Were there any dragons in this movie? I recall they weren’t the main focus (which runs contrary to the American marketing campaign), and the sole dragon only made an appearance at the end. IMO, Spirited Away had a cooler dragon who had more screentime.