Japan’s most prestigious animation studio has released a new entry into the market called Tales of Earthsea.  Studio Ghibli the production company that made the Academy Award winner Spirited Away and the recent kid favorite Ponyo delivers exciting family friendly films that inspire and entertain.

A new animated feature from Studio Ghibli and directed by Hayao Miyazaki’s son Goro has been released on DVD.  The adventure called Tales From Earthsea is the first directorship for Goro and it shows a lot of influence by his father.  The movie is based on the series of fantasy books by Ursula Le Guin.

Set in a fantasy world of magic we follow Arren a prince who is conflicted over a wrongful deed against his father.  Arren travels the land where he meets Lord Archmage Sparrowhawk a master wizard who takes the troubled youth under his wing.  When THE mysterious Cobb tries to destroy Arren over the special sword he carries, an epic battle ensues.

The attention to detail in all of Studio Ghibli is evidenced in this adventure of a troubled youth looking for redemption and self-discovery.  I like the feel of the film in this Asian style of 2D animation that’s more story oriented than the computer graphic delivery we get with most USA productions.

The DVD special features include the The World of Studio Ghibli where you can visit the land of Earthsea in an interactive experience.  It also contains a trivia challenge an much more.

Tales of Earthsea is rated PG-13 for some violent images.  It stars the voice talent of Timothy Dalton (Toy Story 3), Willem Dafoe ( Spider Man) Cheech Marin (Cars, Beverly Hills Chihuahua) and Mariska Hargitay (TV’s Law & Order)