Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is the second animated film by famed director Hayao Miyazaki based on his own Manga series. The film’s success was an influential part of the launch of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation film studio that has for the last thirty years continued to push the boundaries of what an animated film can be and produced the first anime to win an Academy Award. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is the story of a young girl, the titular Nausicaä, in a post-apocalyptic world where the earth has been poisoned by Giant Warriors (an obvious metaphor for nuclear holocaust) long ago and her efforts to protect her village from both giant insects who inhabit an expanding poisoned forest and warring human kingdoms who desire to use their valley as a battle ground. Despite the diverse cast of characters and wholly original world in which it is set, the film manages to flesh out the story and characters with astounding depth and affection. As the film progresses, Nausicaä becomes empowered to make a world-altering act of mercy through smaller acts of mercy bestowed upon her. But this climactic act of mercy is also contrasted throughout the film by showing the consequences of living in a world created by a lack of mercy (and certain characters that do not value it). More than thirty years after its release, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is as important and relevant as ever.
—Darryl A. Armstrong