I will stipulate upfront that I am a casual, at best, reader of [[[Manga]]] and barely watch any anime. It does not mean, though, that I am unaware of the essential titles and creators. As a result, I have been aware of [[[Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind]]] and the work of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki. When the Blu-ray edition of the 1984 animated version of this post-apocalyptic became available to review, I seized the opportunity to immerse myself in this classic world. I was not disappointed. It certainly beat trying to read the lengthy Manga that began in 1982 and wrapped finally in 1994. Obviously, the film is based on the earliest chapters and no other anime adaptation has been attempted to complete the tale.

In short, we’re on another world that is more fantasy than science fiction. We open a millennium after the Seven Days of Fire which destroyed the ecosystem. There’s a gas mask-wearing princess (the air is poisoned) and a village being encroached on by something called the [[[Toxic Jungle]]], making this an eco-fable or cautionary tale. And of course, mutated giant insects – every story like this has to have some of those. When an alien craft lands, the story ignites as the new arrivals stir things up for Princess Nausicaa and her neighbors.

The story is a familiar one as people struggle to survive in a world that has turned against them in protest. We get a lot of explication in the early (narrated by Tony Jay) going but once we get past that, things pick up speed. All along, though, the visuals are stunning.

This, I’m told, is old school anime but to a newcomer, it remains a visual feast with strong character designs and imagery. The story is also a struggle in that it’s so on-the-nose with its themes and actions that moments intended to be iconic are just short of laughable. There’s plenty of action and many scenes are set in the skies above the village. Nausicaa loves to fly and tools around in her jet-powered glider called a Möwe. The aerial sequences are most impressive.

The score leaves much to be desired and we’ll leave it at that.

The English language voices are form the 2005 home video release with a cast that includes Alison Lohman, Patrick Stewart, Edward James Olmos, Chris Sarandon, Uma Thurman, Jodi Benson, the immortal Frank Welker, and a young Shia LaBeouf. All give good, solid performances, not overwhelming the story or animation. The high-definition transfer is not perfect but certainly a step up from previous editions according to technical reports.

The disc’s special features offer up the original Japanese storyboards and  a featurette on the production studio, “[[[World of Ghibli]]]”. This includes a subtitled interview with Miyazaki, whose influence is missed, and we learn that the film was pitched first and when rejected, he started the Manga which proved successful enough to get the feature greenlit. There’s another subtitled 30 minute offering from Japan called “The Birth Story of Studio Ghibli” which is a little self-congratulatory. “Behind the Microphone” is eight minutes spotlighting the voice cast.

On the set’s second disc is a lengthy, two hour step-by-step of the film’s storyboards which are a textbook for storytellers and would-be animators.

It seems like an eternity before we get new episodes of AMC’s WALKING DEAD. Series star Andrew Lincoln talks about the show’s huge success, the next run of episodes and that nifty new BluRay DVD. Plus…THIS is Ma Kent??

In comics, we always have to keep an eye on where our next generations of readers will come from– and it’s just become a bit harder, as earlier this week Congress and President Obama eliminated funding for the literary organization, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

CEO Carol H. Rasco made this statement:

RIF’s ability to provide 4.4 million children with free books and reading encouragement from RIF programs at nearly 17,000 locations throughout the United States is in jeopardy. RIF programs are in schools, community centers, hospitals, military bases, and other locations that serve children from low-income families, children with disabilities, homeless children, and children without adequate access to libraries. For 44 years, RIF has provided millions of children the opportunity to choose free and high-quality books to read and keep for themselves.

But it’s okay– it’s not like comic sales are going down or anything. Besides, you don’t actually have to know how to read to read comics. Amirite?

via Reading Is Fundamental Funding Eliminated – GalleyCat.

Loyal and even semi-conscious comics fans know that Captain America’s arch-nemesis (love that phrase) the Red Skull was a big-time Nazi in the 1940s. The next decade, he was a Commie, proving you don’t have to be a Republican to conflate the two extreme opposites. In the 1960s – and ever since – he’s worked with (more or less) lots of organizations but was always in it for himself.

The movie Red Skull is a bit more confusing.

Entertainment Weekly released the above photo of Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull (a.k.a. Johann Schmidt) in this summer’s Captain America: The First Avenger, an origin story largely set in World War II. But if you take a close look at that belt buckle he’s wearing, it appears that at some point in the movie Skully gets… Hydrated.

Unless the shot is actually from the 2012 Avengers movie.

Walt Disney was a genius on many levels but one that doesn’t get talked about often enough was his way of directly reaching children in gentle and moving ways. He emphasized strong stories and inventive characters, letting the animation style and music convey the emotions. From the title sequence to the first song, “[[[April Shower]]]”, you are transported into the world of [[[Bambi]]]. The latest in Walt Disney Home Entertainment’s long line of high definition restorations, [[[Bambi Diamond Edition]]] is out this week and automatically goes on the Must Have list.

I don’t remember seeing this as a kid, but watching it twice through my children’s’ eyes made this message work across then generations. I’ll tell you upfront that the Blu-ray edition is gorgeous to watch and listen to. Thanks to the patented multi-plane process, the subtle colors and painterly approach to the forest and its denizens have never looked better. Given its emotional wallop about halfway through, it makes sense that the story feels simple but is actually streamlined.

Once we meet Bambi and his mother, we move into the deer’s world. That’s when the cartoony look arrives with the arrival of Thumper. Despite his talkativeness, there are long silent stretches where the score and beautiful scenery get to shine. The flora and fauna are detailed enough to feel real without overwhelming the animals inhabiting the land.  Thumper, the owl, and Flower the skunk are some of the best animals Disney’s Nine Old Men created because they studied the real things as well as young children, finding commonalities that can be used to entrance the young audience.

And when Bambi’s mother dies, the loud crack of the rifle remains one of the most riveting sounds in all cinema. The unseen enemy, man, is not condemned but accepted as one of life’s dangers. As Bambi’s father arrives to take responsibility, he stands majestic, his place in the animal hierarchy secure. Bambi has to grow up sooner than most of his peers but does so and the transition from child to teen to adult is one of the stronger threads holding the film together. (more…)