“Miyazaki’s epic masterpiece” is how Studio Ghibli’s ‘Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind’ is described on the movie’s case, and I could not have put it any better myself. This animated fantasy movie was released in 1985 and directed by the genius Hayao Miyazaki. It is about a young princess named Nausicaä and a poisonous jungle that is spreading across the Earth. The jungle is infested with giant, enraged creatures the people of the kingdom, Valley of the Wind, called ‘insects’. When the poison from the jungle starts to threaten the safety of the Valley,  Nausicaä must find a way to protect her people while dealing with enemies from other kingdoms. The princess has always had sympathy for the insects and that is put to the test as her people and her enemies try to burn down the jungle. She realizes that the insects are not as vicious as they seem throughout the movie and tries to convince everyone of this while still protecting her kingdom. The technical aspects of this movie did not disappoint. The animation was gorgeous and the music was beautiful, but this is nothing new coming from Studio Ghibli’s movies. The story was entertaining and moving and it had me at the edge of my seat. The characters were lovable and the voice actors did a great job communicating the feelings and attitudes of them. A common theme through this movie is to have a good relationship with the Earth and to treat its creatures with kindness; it is a great message to illustrate and is not something every movie talks about but should be expressed more. All in all this underrated Ghibli movie blows me away, as all of the studio’s movies do. It is a definite must-see and a movie that you will not help but want to watch again and again.