Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Review

Messages: There's a very strong message about the importance of protecting and understanding the environment, and that all creatures play a vital role in the ecosystem. There's also a call for peace, showing that violence just creates more violence.

Role models: Nausicaa is a pacifist who throws herself in harm's way to save people and animals, shouting that the violence has to stop. She's compassionate toward all animals and tries to understand them -- even the biggest, meanest-seeming creatures. She's also brave and very resourceful -- she has to be to survive in the toxic jungle.

Violence: Nausicaa's father is shot to death just before she enters the room. Nausicaa gets shot twice protecting the animals and gets sucked in by quicksand. Most of the violence consists of giant explosions during air ship battles and villagers held hostage and threatened. Giant insects called ohmu get enraged and charge when one injured baby ohmu is dangled as bait. A giant red creature comes back to life and looks menacing but then falls apart. A toxic jungle requires masks to enter and sickens those living close. Talk of the end of industrialized civilization 1,000 years before in "seven days of fire" and the whole human race still lives in danger of extinction.

Sex: Not an issue

Language: "Old hag" is as bad as it gets.

Consumerism: Not an issue

Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue