Film

Tales from Earthsea

Name: Tales from Earthsea
Genre: Animation, Fantasy, Adventure
Released: 2006
Cast: Junichi Okada, Aoi Teshima, Bunta Sugawara, Yuko Tanaka, Teruyuki Kagawa

Fantasy

Hayao Miyazaki's adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea novels is a visual feast of floating islands, transforming dragons, and decay. It's meditative and strange, following a wizard and fugitive prince through a world coming apart. Gorgeous but oblique—it rewards patience and doesn't explain everything.

TMDb rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love quiet fantasy that trusts mood and landscape over plot mechanics, the kind of hand-drawn world where a long wordless shot of wind over fields does more than an action set piece would.

Skip it if you want momentum and clear answers, since this one drifts through long conversations and thoughtful pauses and rewards patience more than curiosity about what comes next.

What it asks of you: Just under two hours of unhurried scenes, long silences and few explanations, with its darkness arriving gradually rather than in bursts.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Princess Mononoke1997

Another Miyazaki epic about ecological collapse and the clash between human and natural worlds. Stunning animation, moral complexity, and a universe that feels genuinely at stake. A masterpiece that shares Earthsea's scope.

But It's long, violent, and refuses easy answers about who's right. The pacing is deliberate, and some find it overwhelming rather than moving.

Warriors of the Wind1984

Miyazaki's first feature and a spiritual predecessor: a young hero navigates a post-apocalyptic world of giant insects and human corruption. Lyrical, ecological, and utterly absorbing. Essential Miyazaki before he became a household name.

But The dubbing, even in good versions, occasionally dates the film. Some find the philosophical bent less gripping than the action sequences.

The NeverEnding Story1984

A fantasy about a boy reading a magical book that mirrors Earthsea's atmosphere of wonder and dread. Practical effects and real puppetry create a world that feels tangible. Haunting, sincere, and genuinely strange in places.

But It's a children's film that doesn't always work for adults. The pacing flags, and some effects haven't aged as gracefully as others.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Tales from Earthsea

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Harakiri1962

Both are about a world losing coherence, watched through the eyes of someone trying to find meaning in collapse. The register is completely different—Earthsea dreamlike, Harakiri harsh—but the underlying sorrow is the same.

A samurai film about decay and meaninglessness in a world losing its way. Visually extraordinary—black and white cinematography that feels like ink painting. The philosophy isn't fantasy, but the emotional landscape is eerily parallel.

But It's a brutal, punishing film about honour and futility. Watching it feels like a moral duty rather than entertainment. Very long and very dark.

Howl's Moving Castle2004

Another Miyazaki adaptation of a British fantasy novel, with richer character work and warmer humour than Earthsea. Beautiful animation, romance without saccharine, and a world you want to inhabit. Deeply rewarding.

But It's more conventional in structure and sentiment. If you want challenging and austere, this leans toward comfort.

Spirited Away2001

Miyazaki's masterpiece: a girl navigates a bathhouse for spirits with the same dreamlike logic as Earthsea. Visually inexhaustible, emotionally resonant, and endlessly rewatchable. One of the greatest animated films ever made.

But Its massive fame can create resistance. Some find it too whimsical or too long, though both criticisms fade on a second viewing.

The Last Unicorn1982

An animated fantasy about searching for a lost world, with a melancholic tone and genuinely unsettling moments. The voice cast is superb, the songs haunt you, and it's rare—a fantasy that feels genuinely lonely and strange.

But It looks dated and the animation quality is uneven. The ending is emotionally ambiguous in a way some find unsatisfying rather than powerful.

Arrival2016

Science fiction that feels like Earthsea's spiritual cousin: contemplative, visual, about communication and understanding. Linguistically obsessed, beautiful, and genuinely moving. A thinking person's space film.

But Very cerebral and slow. If you want spectacle or action, you'll find the long conversations tedious.

Moana2016

An animated adventure about a young person restoring balance to a broken world. The animation is vivid, the music excellent, and it has real stakes. A modern film that understands what makes fantasy matter.

But It's a mainstream musical with pop sensibility. If you want oblique and strange, this is direct and accessible.

Over the Garden Wall2014

Both use animation (or visual style) to create a sense of strangeness and dislocation. Both trust the audience to sit with unease. Both are about crossing a threshold into a world with different rules.

A limited series (two hours total) that feels like a lost fairy tale. Haunting, beautifully shot, genuinely eerie. Two boys lost in a mysterious forest; atmosphere and mood do the heavy lifting. You'll think about it for weeks.

But It's short and deliberately paced. If you need plot momentum and explanation, you'll feel frustrated. The ambiguity is the point, which isn't for everyone.