Common Sense Media Review
By Renee Longstreet
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Stylish animation isn't enough to save violent adaptation.
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Tales from Earthsea
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 7 parent reviews
Based on 11 kid reviews
Kids say the film is visually striking but criticized for its complex and confusing plot, disturbing content, and violence, making it unsuitable for younger viewers. While some appreciate its underlying message and character connections, many feel it falls short of the high standards set by other works from the studio, leaving a mixed impression overall.
- visuals striking
- confusing plot
- unsuitable for children
- mixed impressions
- strong themes
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Strange occurrences threaten the balance of life in TALES FROM EARTHSEA. Hoping to find the cause of the imbalance and save his kingdom of magic, wizards, and dragons, Sparrowhawk (voiced by Bunta Sugawara in the original version and Timothy Dalton in the English dub) and Prince Arren (Jun'ichi Okada/Matt Levin), a boy he's rescued, set out on a fraught journey. Helping them along the way are loyal farmer Tenar (Jun Fubuki/Mariska Hargitay) and her ward, Therru (Aoi Teshima/Blaire Restaneo), a young, seemingly fragile girl. The evil Cob (Yūko Tanaka/Willem Dafoe), obsessed with living forever, uses his magic rule to wrest control of all Earthsea and vows revenge on Sparrowhawk. Complicating the quest are the personal demons that can be found just beneath the surface of the hero's heart.
Is It Any Good?
Given the violence and the murkiness of the plot and messages, there's little to appreciate in this disappointing feature debut. Using the Tales from Earthsea novels by Ursula K. Le Guin as inspiration, director Gorō Miyazaki (son of acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki) has created a beautiful mythic kingdom and brought it to life with a good versus evil theme, lots of stunning derring-do, and striking imagery. Sadly, the visuals aren't enough to overcome the film's slow pace and characters who spend most of the time flatly discussing philosophy. Even then, complex notions are given very short shrift, and several storylines are never resolved; some are even contradictory. Characters' motivations are loud but not logical in this muddled effort.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how "balance" is seen as a necessity of life in Tales from Earthsea. What does this mean to you? How can you relate this to life in our own world?
How does the violence in this movie compare to what you've seen in live-action fantasy movies? Which has more impact?
Prince Arren must face two sides of himself. How did the filmmakers try to show those two sides? Do you think they were successful in showing how Arren dealt with both sides?
Do the film's attitudes toward death resonate with you? How do you feel about embracing your limited time on this planet, rather than chasing immortality?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 13, 2010
- On DVD or streaming : March 8, 2011
- Cast : Mariska Hargitay , Timothy Dalton , Willem Dafoe
- Director : Goro Miyazaki
- Studio : Buena Vista
- Genre : Anime
- Topics : Book Characters , Fantasy ( Dragons )
- Run time : 115 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some violent images
- Last updated : July 30, 2026
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