TALES FROM EARTHSEA (2010) - PREVIEW

Tales from Earthsea (2010)

Starring: Timothy Dalton, Mariska Hargitay, Willem Dafoe, Cheech Marin
Director: Drew Dowdle, John Erick Dowdle

U.S. Release Date: August 13, 2010

THEY SAY

Something bizarre has come over the kingdom of Enlad.

The kingdom is deteriorating. People are beginning to act strange . . .

What's even stranger is that people are beginning to see dragons, which shouldn't enter the world of humans.

Due to all these bizarre events, Ged, a wandering wizard, is investigating the cause.

During his journey, he meets Prince Arren, a young distraught teenage boy. While Arren may look like a shy young teen, he has a severe dark side, which grants him strength, hatred, ruthlessness and has no mercy, especially when it comes to protecting Teru.

For the witch Kumo this is a perfect opportunity. She can use the boy's fears against the very one who would help him, Ged.

An adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin's novel A Wizard of Earthsea, the first book of the award-winning Earthsea cycle which includes The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore and Tehanu.

WE SAY

This movie directed by Goro Miyazaki, the son of the famous – or at least amongst animation freaks - Hayao Miyazaki of Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro fame, finally gets a theatrical release in the States, thanks to Walt Disney. (The movie has been around on DVD in most other countries since 2007 though.)

The Pixar crowd are huge fans of Goro’s dad (spot the Totoro doll in Toy Story 3 for instance) so it should come as no surprise that Disney went to the trouble of giving Tales of Earthsea a brand new English dub by “stars” such as Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe and Cheech Marin.

Problem is however that the movie got mixed reviews upon its release and incurred the wrath of disgruntled Ursula Le Guin fans. Point is that Disney must really love all things Miyazaki related because none of these movies (such as Ponyo) make much money at the US domestic box office and tend to disappear without trace . . .
 

Trailer