Studio Ghibli’s worst movie returns to theaters for its 20th anniversary next month
Studio Ghibli’s most critically dismissed film, Tales from Earthsea, is returning to North American theaters next month for its 20th anniversary. The fantasy adaptation has remained the studio’s most persistently criticized work despite Ghibli’s legendary reputation for masterpieces across four decades of filmmaking.
The film marks the feature directorial debut of Goro Miyazaki, son of Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki. It adapts Ursula K. Le Guin’s beloved Earthsea novels into a sprawling fantasy adventure drawing from multiple books in the series. While Studio Ghibli has produced relatively few critical disappointments, with even “lesser” films like Earwig and the Witch and Ocean Waves finding appreciative audiences, Tales from Earthsea stands out as the studio’s most widely regarded underperformer.
The theatrical re-release provides an opportunity for both longtime Studio Ghibli fans and new audiences to reassess the film two decades after its original release. The anniversary screening marks a notable event in the studio’s ongoing legacy, regardless of the film’s critical reception.