Tales of Earthsea - Blu-Ray & DVD

In the land of Earthsea, the balance that holds the world together is fracturing. Dragons are appearing in places they have not been seen in centuries. Crops fail. People succumb to listlessness and despair. Lord Archmage Sparrowhawk, the most powerful wizard alive, is traveling to find the source of the imbalance when he crosses paths with Arren — a young prince fleeing something he cannot fully articulate, haunted by violence and by a shadow that seems to follow him. Together they travel through a world of fishing villages, slave markets, and ancient magic toward the sorcerer Cob, who has found a way to pierce the boundary between the living world and the land of the dead — and whose immortality project is the crack at the center of everything falling apart.

Tales from Earthsea is a 2006 theatrical film directed by Goro Miyazaki in his feature directorial debut — the son of Hayao Miyazaki — and loosely based on the third and fourth volumes of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea novel series, with additional elements drawn from the first novel. Le Guin herself was critical of the adaptation, noting it departed significantly from her work's themes and characterizations. The film won the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year in 2007 despite mixed critical reception, and remains the most divisive Studio Ghibli theatrical feature. Goro Miyazaki has himself acknowledged in subsequent interviews that he approached the material without sufficient preparation. The GKIDS Blu-ray + DVD release includes the original theatrical trailer, TV spots, feature-length storyboards, "The Birth Story of the Film Soundtrack" featurette, and additional bonus content. The Disney DVD-only release was published March 8, 2011; the Disney Blu-ray + DVD Combo followed in 2015.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Goro Miyazaki (feature debut; later From Up on Poppy Hill)
Screenplay: Goro Miyazaki & Keiko Niwa
Original Novels: Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea cycle — A Wizard of Earthsea, The Farthest Shore, Tehanu)
Producer: Toshio Suzuki
Studio: Studio Ghibli
Music: Tamiya Terashima (Key the Metal Idol)
Theme Song: "Teru no Uta" by Aoi Teshima

Japanese Cast:
- Jun'ichi Okada as Arren
- Bunta Sugawara as Sparrowhawk / Ged
- Aoi Teshima as Therru
- Yuko Tanaka as Cob (Princess Mononoke — Lady Eboshi)
- Teruyuki Kagawa as Hare
- Jun Fubuki as Tenar

English Dub Cast (Disney):
- Matt Levin as Arren
- Timothy Dalton as Sparrowhawk / Ged (James Bond — Licence to Kill, Living Daylights)
- Blaire Restaneo as Therru
- Willem Dafoe as Cob (Platoon, Spider-Man)
- Cheech Marin as Hare (Cheech & Chong, Machete)
- Mariska Hargitay as Tenar (Law & Order: SVU)
- Susanne Blakeslee as additional cast
- Kat Cressida as additional cast
- Jess Harnell as additional cast
- Brian George as additional cast

Blu-ray Features (Disney 2015 Combo Release)

- Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack
- English DTS-HD High Res Audio / Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 / French Dolby Digital 5.1
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spots
- Note: GKIDS / Shout! Factory reissue (2018) adds feature-length storyboards and "Birth Story of the Film Soundtrack" featurette not present on this Disney release

Spoken Languages: English, Japanese & French Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: 猫の恩返し ゲド戦記 (Gedo Senki / Tales from Earthsea)
Runtime: ~115 Minutes
Director: Goro Miyazaki
Blu-ray + DVD Release Year: 2015 (U.S. Release — Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment); GKIDS / Shout! Factory reissue 2018
Original Release Date (Japan): July 29, 2006
Publisher: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Rating: PG-13
Region: Region 1 / Region A (North America)
Note: Goro Miyazaki's feature directorial debut. Loosely based on Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea novels — Le Guin herself expressed dissatisfaction with the adaptation. Won Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year 2007 despite mixed critical reception. GKIDS reissue includes additional bonus features.
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Drama
Themes: Earthsea World Balance, Land of the Dead, Timothy Dalton & Willem Dafoe Dub Cast, Goro Miyazaki Debut, Studio Ghibli

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.