Let's be honest: this is the Ghibli film that even Ghibli fans pretend doesn't exist. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son Goro (in his directorial debut, and it shows), Tales from Earthsea takes Ursula K. Le Guin's brilliant fantasy series and turns it into a confused, plodding mess. The 36% audience score isn't a fluke—it's genuinely hard to follow, tonally inconsistent, and lacks the magic that makes other Ghibli films rewatchable.
The dark psychological elements (a teen prince with a violent split personality being manipulated by a witch) are heavier than typical family animation, but without the narrative skill to make them meaningful. It's not scary enough to be a good dark fantasy, not clear enough to be good storytelling, and not fun enough to be good entertainment.
If your kid is obsessed with Studio Ghibli and wants to watch everything, fine—but set expectations low. Otherwise, literally any other Ghibli film is a better use of your time. Even Le Guin herself wasn't a fan of this adaptation, and when the author disowns your movie, that's saying something.



