Why Disney's Frozen isn't as amazing as everyone says it is

So I've watched this movie twice, and I don't think it's an awful movie but I don't think it's a "good" movie, either. My friends and I analyzed and discussed its good and bad points after watching it the first time, and we all agreed that we had been expecting much more than what the movie actually gave us. I was honestly surprised to learn that so many people were absolutely in love with this movie, and it's shocked me that it became the highest-grossing animated Disney film. I've tried so hard to understand why everyone thinks "it's such a good movie!", and I want to make my opinions heard. (Spoilers are mild unless specifically noted)
What I do like:

• that Elsa never shows any romantic interest for anyone and no one does for her; this supports the message that you don't need a romantic partner to be complete/satisfied, which I think is a healthy message for people of all ages/gender
• that Kristoff is not stereotypically "pretty," which supports the idea that perfect looks aren't the only important quality in people
• that Elsa is never villainized, and is supposed to be a sympathetic character
• that Elsa is honestly ok with being on her own and isn't secretly wishing that someone could just love and understand her; she means it when she says that even if she's alone, she has her freedom and is happy that Anna can be safe (even if the latter is wrong)

What I don't like:

• that the relationship between Anna and Elsa is underdeveloped compared to other main duos such as Merida and her mom in Brave; the sisters' relationship should be the focus of the movie rather than consisting of only a few scenes and getting shoved out of the way for Anna's romance plots. We only hear Anna say that she trusts Elsa, but since her actions and dialogue are half devoted to the love plots, we don't see any true care for Elsa. If they had lengthened the "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" sequence by putting in scenes of the sisters talking to their parents about wanting to see each other, being sad at being separated other than just Anna's boredom and sadness, or maybe visually remembering the times they spent together, it would've been stronger and I would've been more convinced that they honestly loved each other despite being like strangers.
• that their relationship was so underdeveloped that the climax felt awkward and empty, especially since you know everyone'll be fine in a minute or two (*even if you know everything will be fine in a story, you can still have an emotional response if relationships/situations are developed correctly; Brave's climax made me cry); there's no material in the story that would actually give Anna reason to (spoilers!) sacrifice everything for her sister other than the obligation she has as being family. I'm not saying that she shouldn't have saved Elsa, but I'm saying that there needed to be more seen development between the two that would actually give the impression that Anna loved her so much that she'd do what she did, not just because it happened to be the right thing to do as a sister. They had a good idea, but it wasn't fleshed out enough.
• that even though the climax is about a different type of true love than romantic true love (i.e. familial love), it was only barely in there since it happened at the very last second; this focus on familial rather than romantic love is also not new or that progressive since movies like Brave and Aquamarine also have climaxes that rely on familial love.
• that "Let it Go" is the only good song in the movie; the others are bland, have bad lyrics, or are just really typical/unoriginal (I really don't care for "For the First Time in Forever," I thought the melody/chord progression was very standard and predictable-though that's musical nit-picking) and overall it seemed like the writers were trying too hard to ensure that it became a classic and beat out past successes like The Lion King (which it sadly did)
• that all of the messages about love that the movie tries to convey are either confused, sloppy, misleading, or not properly supported by the characters' actions. It's ok to show that the concept of love is confusing and that not everyone understands it, but I want to be made to believe that the characters honestly understand what it is by the end, rather than "Oh, yeah, love exists! Why didn't I think of that! Everything is instantly fine!"
• that Kristoff and Anna, even though they're the main focus/duo of the movie from their meeting on, don't have good chemistry (because they're not properly developed-sensing a theme here?) and that their feelings for each other are not even remotely visible until the final section; Anna (spoilers!) only shows interest in him after she is told that he loves her, and we are never shown Kristoff developing feelings for her, he just suddenly loves her

What I hate:

• that (SPOILERS!!!) Hans was made to be a villain; it would have been much more original/subtle/realistic if they had kissed and it just hadn't worked, and they would've realized that crushes are not the same as true love (like if Enchanted were serious, since Giselle also realizes this to some extent), which I think would've been a much more mature message to give to kids-or anyone, really
• the trolls and their song/actions; their song gives a horrible (and extremely confused) message about love and relationships (You have to fix this guy, who has a ton of issues but is really sweet, by loving him! Oh, you can't love him cuz you're engaged? Let's GET RID OF the fiance!! Oh, wait, we're not really telling you that people can be changed, because "people don't really change"! But guess, what? Everyone needs fixing!), they completely disregard Anna's (and Kristoff's to a degree) feelings and situation, and the elder/shaman/leader, who at first seems to be the only dignified one, is almost the sole cause of all of Elsa's problems since he warns her against losing control due to fear BY MAKING HER AFRAID.

What I don't understand:

• why this being a "pretty" movie (i.e. gorgeous animation/visuals) is such a huge deal to people in terms of why they love it; has no one seen what Dreamworks produces lately? (I know that's not the case based on the sheer amount of Jack Frost fanart all over the internet.) Have people just not been watching Disney movies in the past few years, and this is the first one they've seen in a long time so they think that this is really visually ground-breaking or different from other animated movies? Yes, there are pretty visuals/character designs/etc, but, like with Ponyo, just looking amazing doesn't-and shouldn't-carry the movie
• why everyone thinks the movie is progressive; as stated above, it's not the first/only kid's movie, Disney or otherwise, to show non-romantic love as being most important, and I think many people focus on the fact that, in the past, Disneyhas shown instances of love at first sight or destined love without much interaction or action required, but fail to realize that those situations/ideas haven't shown up in a long time (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella are really the only main ones)
• why people say that Anna is a good role model (see following point)
• why everyone thinks the movie is a good example of feminism; it does try (and has a few successes, mostly with Elsa) to be female-positive, but when the main character (Anna) 1) only has three notable moments of autonomy and power (getting Hans to let her go alone, getting Kristoff to take her up the mountain, and the climax where she ignores what everyone in the 3rd act has been telling her to do and acts out of her own will), 2) has "finding true love" as her main goal, and 3) is not only one of merely two women in the entire cast (the mother and the female troll don't count), but also has less scenes than the male characters in which she "actually does things" rather than just talks, I don't think the movie can be fully/properly be labeled as "feminist"-especially since the original Snow Queen story is apparently much more female-empowering/focused.

So to sum it all up: I think Frozen has good points in terms of the characters' traits, especially Elsa, but the story/plot/messages are weak/sloppy/confused, so I don't see why people are so obsessed with it. I don't hate the movie, I like "Let it Go" and Elsa, I didn't think Olaf was going to be as annoying as the trailers made him seen; but I think the story and development aren't fleshed out well and/or enough to consider this a "good" movie. I think it's perfectly fine to like and enjoy this movie; just, please, think about why you like it other than "it's pretty!" or "it's just a fantastic movie!", and be able to recognize that it's not flawless.

Quick thoughts on systems and games

2012 looks to be a big year for gamers worldwide, what with all the highly-anticipated games and the launches of the next generation of systems. The PS Vita and the 3DS have upped the gaming experience with their cameras, more in-depth touch screens, and motion-based gameplay, and new games like Spirit Camera for the 3DS really show off the developers' goal to "blur the lines between the game and reality". The Wii U, the next Nintendo console, is said to come out in time for this year's holiday season, a system for which I personally am very excited. For awhile I went through a phase of being disillusioned with Nintendo, what with my and my sister's lousy experiences with DS Lites repeatedly breaking and an apparent lack of "good games" for the Wii and DS, but I've moved past it and am really looking forward to being able to experience new types of gameplay with the 3DS and Wii U. As always, Sony has beautiful graphic capabilities, but doesn't have as many games that interest me (along with having extremely pricey systems), so I won't be getting a PS Vita until something really stellar comes out on it (though I really do enjoy playing demos for it at GameStop).

In the field of games, Kingdom Hearts: Dream, Drop, Distance (or Kingdom Hearts 3D) is already out in Japan and will be coming to the US on July 31st, something that Kingdom Hearts fans-myself included-are on the edge of their seats about. The next installment in the Assassin's Creed franchise, Assassin's Creed III, will be out this October, and our new tomahawk-brandishing hero, Connor, is looking to be just as epic as his predecessors. A brand new type of Pokemon DS game came out in Japan in March (which will be titled Pokemon Conquest for the North American release), a crossover with the Nobunaga's Ambition series. The first strategy-type combat game for Pokemon, the setting has a very feudal/warring states Japan feel (though Pokemon, not swords, are the weapons of war here), and those who have studied Japanese history will recognize names such as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and, of course, Oda Nobunaga.  Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2 are set to release for the DS in Japan in June, and I can hardly wait to see what these games bring to the table. Black and White 2 are the first titled sequel games in the main Pokemon series, and are said to take place two years after the events of Black and White, and features new towns and location. Different from past "tier" Pokemon games (Crystal for Gold and Silver, Emerald for Ruby and Sapphire, Platinum for Diamond and Pearl), the playable characters are different from in the first games, and I have to say that the girl's design is absolutely adorable:

Princess Leia buns and ruffly skirt-shorts!

The boy is cute, too, with his long shorts, leggings, and oversized bag-but what is with that hair?:

Seriously, it's like Pence's hair from KH2

There is also a new rival, who looks like he just rolled out of bed: 

Rufflet hair-don't tell me you're not thinking the same thing

and a new professor-do I even need to say anything about this guy? Just take a look:

Looks like a throwback to Team Galactic

But for all my harping on hairstyles, I am really excited for these games. After being disappointed by the jarring graphics style shift from the 3rd generation to the 4th and the lack of interesting or memorable characters and plot from the latter, I was extremely impressed with the storyline and characters of Black and White. Team Plasma, the game's villains, had a really interesting motivation (well, until Ghetsis destroys the cover of an original idea at the end), and I really found N's back story to be surprisingly deep and involved considering that it's Pokemon. I know a lot of people think that the designs (not to mention the names) for the new Pokemon are really unimaginative or are just touched-up designs of previous Pokemon, but I found myself liking at least half of the 5th generation Pokemon whereas in Diamond/Pearl/Platinum I only really like Lucario, Shinx, and maybe Buizel. All in all, I think that Black and White are great additions to the Pokemon series, and I'm eagerly anticipating the continuation of the story with Black 2 and White 2. Hopefully after they come out the Pokemon company will start working on another Mystery Dungeon game, and I'd like to hear news on the next Golden Sun game as well. With all these great games and systems being released, the future of gaming is looking pretty bright!

Tokyo Game Show 2011: Kingdom Hearts 3D updates

So Tokyo Game Show is happening this weekend, and new information concerning the upcoming 3DS game, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, has come to light: New character designs for Sora and Riku, new party members in place of Donald and Goofy, and confirmation of a cameo by Neku Sakuraba, the protagonist of Tetsuya Nomura/Square Enix's The World Ends With You!

Sora's and Riku's new designs:

Screenshot showing Neku and Sora in Traverse Town (though I think it would be way cooler if Sora went to Shibuya):

Here is a poster showing Sora and Riku sporting their new outfits and joined by the "enigmatic new party members", which are "pets" called Wandanyan and Koumori Bat:

And a picture to sum it all up, taken from kh13.com:

For anyone who doesn't already know, KH3D is about Sora and Riku taking the Mark of Mastery exam to become keyblade masters, as Aqua and Terra did in Birth By Sleep (although Aqua was the only one to pass the exam and become a master). Why isn't Kairi taking the exam? She showed in KHII that she can fight with a [rather girly] keyblade; give her a chance! In any case, the exam is conducted in a dream world, or a "world buried in sleep". There are new enemies called Dream Eaters which are described as "goblins that consume sleep" (go figure). Sora and Riku are both playable characters, but they will randomly rotate during the game; the player has no control over when you play as each character. The gameplay/storyline between Sora and Riku is similar (with super awesome new moves and actions, courtesy of the new "drop gauge", which can be executed with the Y button), but the bosses they face seem to relate directly to each character, as can be seen in the trailer from earlier this year (high quality here, subtitled version here). There are supposed to be all brand-new worlds (though Traverse Town is making a comeback), and The Hunchback of Notre Dame has been confirmed as one of them. The themes of the game are trust and friendship, and Nomura says that the game is supposed to "tear down past elements" and that we should "expect the unexpected", so get ready for some big changes.
 
As I'm sure all the other fans are, I am ecstatic for this game to come out. This is the game for which I will buy a 3DS, and it looks like it's going to be worth every penny. The Wikipedia page has been updated, referencing interviews with and comments from Tetsuya Nomura, who says that the game's development is almost halfway complete, and they will begin voice recording soon. Coverage of TGS has revealed that the game is set for release in Japan "sometime between February and May" 2012, so here in the US we may be lucky enough to get it by next fall; winter holiday season at the latest. Nomura has also confirmed a secret ending for the game, which he says will be "shocking". Whether that's good or bad, we'll just have to wait and see. There are gameplay demo videos here, and tons more information from the people at TGS should be coming all week.

Nomura has also discussed an HD remake of Kingdom Hearts 1 to celebrate KH's 10th anniversary and to draw more people to the series. Fully animated cutscenes? I'm game for that! It looks like we can look forward to seeing great things from the Kingdom Hearts franchise in the next couple of years.

Back from the Dead: Miyazaki again

I haven't posted in several months, so I thought, why not write about something before I get too fed up with trying to type with my broken c and f keys? (Long story, lots of copy/paste.)


In my first post I voiced my disappointment with Hayao/Goro Miyazaki's latest movies, but now I'm starting to hope that their upcoming works will be better.  I recently heard that the 2010 film, Kari-gurashi no Arietti ("The Secret World of Arretty) is due for release in the US this coming February (2012) under the name Arrietty. The plot is based off of Mary Norton's The Borrowers, in which little people (and by "little" I mean tiny, almost mouse-sized, not "vertically challenged") live in humans' houses and "borrow" food and items from around the house, small things that won't be missed but would be useful to the little people, and strive to keep their existence secret from the larger inhabitants of the houses. I never read the book or its sequels, so I don't know much about the plot. In the movie, the main character, Arrietty (who would've guessed?), one of the Borrower children, befriends Sho, the human boy of their house, and she eventually has to prove the existence of the Borrowers, which goes against their code of living in secret.

The movie has been highly praised and acclaimed in Japan for its animation and music (but when are those aspects ever lacking in a Miyazaki film?), and was the highest grossing 2010 movie, according to Wikipedia.  Hayao Miyazaki supervised a new director, Hiromasa Yonebayashi, and as Arrietty was so much better received in Japan than was Tales from Earthsea (which apparently earned Goro Miyazaki the "Worst Director/Worst film" awards), I'm somewhat confident that this will be an enjoyable, well-done movie. Here's the trailer; the only problem I have is that the boy, Sho, looks like a cross between Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke and Howl from Howl's Moving Castle; I wish they could come up with more original character designs.

Currently, Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are working on a new movie, something about a "Poppy Hill", but since it hasn't even been released in Japan yet, I'll wait to talk about it until a Western release is in the works. On another note, it seems that everyone else whose opinions matter loved Ponyo, making me wonder if I'm the only one who thought that the idea of two (one and a half?) 5-year-old children being made to promise to love each other forever is ridiculous. I might be able to say that they mean platonic, innocent friendship love, if not for the kiss at the end. Well, I stand by my opinion on Ponyo, that it has nice animation but a weak plot, no matter what the critics say. I have to say it's probably not worse than Earthsea, but it's got to be at the bottom of films that Hayao has directed.

Obsessions

I'm the kind of person who gets obsessed with things easily. My first big obsession was with Pokemon when it first became popular here in the mid '90s.  I bought a Gameboy Color in order to play Red/Blue/Yellow, I would wake up early to watch the tv show before school, and I would use my weekly allowance to buy plastic figurines or trading cards.  Later on, when I was in middle school, Disney's Treasure Planet became the object of my obsessions, and I went way over the top with that one.  I ended up watching the movie just about every day, sometimes multiple times each day.  It was actually kind of scary just how into this movie I was.  I loved the main character, Jim Hawkins, I loved the mysterious and lovable cyborg villain, Silver, and I loved everything else about the movie: the soundtrack, the witty dialogue, the artwork, etc.  I was so hooked and obsessed that I led myself to believe that the planets from the movie were out there somewhere, that the characters were real, and that someday I would travel out into space to have epic adventures with Jim Hawkins and the rest of the characters (I even started writing a fanfic but, thankfully, never finished).

After I finally grew out of my TP phase (and just grew up in general), I still had things that I would become obsessed with, but to a much lesser extent (thankfully for my sanity).  I've gotten hooked on various things, from manga (for anyone who doesn't know, manga is Japanese-style comics) to video games like Kingdom Hearts to single movies, and my current obsession is a manga series called XxxHolic (pronounced as either "X-Holic" or just "Holic") by the female artist group, CLAMP.  Now, you may be thinking that the Xxx stands for something dirty and X-rated, but in actuality they are there as variables or placeholders.  The series is about a high school-age boy named Watanuki Kimihiro (last name then first name, since that's how the Japanese and other Eastern cultures present their names) who has the power to see and attract ghosts and spirits, and in order to get rid of this power he starts working part-time for a woman named Yuuko who has the power to grant wishes as long as she receives proper compensation (everything has a price, a price that must be of equal value to that of the request).  Many of the customers Yuuko deals with have problems of an addictive nature in some form or another, so the "Xxx" is there as sort of asterisks; you replace them with whatever the person is a holic of.  For example, one woman is so addicted to the internet that she starts neglecting her husband and son, not taking care of housework or spending time with her young child; her wish is to be able to stop using the computer.

Although this "shop" of wish-granting is the basic plot point for the series, there is much more to it than that.  Yuuko is a driving force of the series and a great character, but our main protagonist is Watanuki.  He interacts with two key characters in particular: a girl named Kunogi Himawari, who is his high school crush, and Doumeki Shizuka, who he can't stand for some reason.  Yuuko drops mysterious hints about Himawari, saying that she isn't Watanuki's good luck charm even though he gets all happy and lovey-dovey when he sees her, and tells Watanuki that he is fated to develop a close bond with Doumeki (much to his annoyance).  As the series goes on, Watanuki is able to grow and change, learning about how he is connected to others and the importance of  the actions of both people in a relationship, not just one.  He lost his parents at a young age, and often he subconsciously feels that he should also no longer be in the world, but is eventually able to realize that there are many people in the world who have changed by meeting him, and definitely don't want to lose him.

The series is one of CLAMP's more recent works, starting in 2003 and "ending" only recently (CLAMP still classifies X-Holic as "ongoing", but it seems to have reached a definite conclusion).  It is also one of the most popular, as it is rather unique by integrating comedy with horror (since Watanuki sees and attracts spirits, he often has to deal with scary ghosts and places).  XxxHolic is a crossover with Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, meaning that occasionally the characters from both mangas briefly interact with one another, or events from one series is alluded to in the other.  Tsubasa (as it is shortened to) is in itself a crossover of sorts, as it features many characters from past CLAMP works (the main characters are alternate universe versions of those from Cardcaptor Sakura).  I've only read a few of CLAMP's series; my favorite when I was younger was Cardcaptor Sakura for its innocence and romance, but I've also read Chobits, which was too perverted for my liking.  Their post-2000 work seems to be much better though, and I really enjoy TRC and X-Holic.  The story is deep and serious while still keeping a humorous and lighthearted tone when needed, and the characters' personalities and relationships with one another really flesh out and blend with one another very well.  The only concern I had was with the manga's ending; it was rather abrupt and even really depressing.  However, CLAMP recently released an OVA (orignal video animation) that gives more information on the events towards the end of the series, and gives much better closure.  By reading and sharing my thoughts on mangafox's wonderful forums, I was able to come to terms with the ending and realize that bittersweet endings can be better than ones where everyone ends up happy, like in a fairy tale.  It's more realistic to have some pain and sadness mixed in with happiness and contentment, which, in my opinion, makes for a much better and more mature story.  Sure, this manga isn't something that I would consider extraordinarily profound, but I think it's very enjoyable for medium-level entertainment (of course, it turned me into an obsessive fangirl for about a week or two, but that's just me, the easily obsessed).

The anime is also very good, but sometimes they have animation problems such as making the body proportions ridiculously long and thin, or problems with motion such as unrealistic/unnatural movements when running or walking.  The main anime doesn't include crossover information from TRC, but the OVAs do, so that can be confusing.  The anime stays true to the events of the manga, but it scrambles up the order for some reason, and it can be hard to follow if you both read the manga and watch the anime at the same time (so read before you watch).  But, as usual with anime, it gives more feeling to the series since there are actual voice actors and moving visuals, and I'm impressed that the English dub isn't a complete abomination (only one of the English voice actors makes my ears bleed, and that's much more than I can say for most English dubs).  All in all, XxxHolic (and TRC) is a great series, and is good for anyone who wants a happy medium between the poles of all romance and all action.

Wiki page for XxxHolic here

First Post: Miyazaki and Tales from Earthsea

To start this blog, I want to briefly note my love of Hayao Miyazaki's marvelous films.  Hayao Miyazaki has worked with Studio Ghibli and Disney to bring us such animated masterpieces as Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Princess Mononoke.  His works have been critically acclaimed and highly praised over the years; however, Miyazaki seemed to hit a peak with Spirited Away, and his most recent works seem to be rather lacking.  Although Howl's Moving Castle-which followed Spirited Away-was, in my opinion, very well done, its ending seemed a little too silly for the tone that the rest of the movie had set, what with Sophie kissing everyone just because it seemed like a nice, fairy-tale thing to do.

And then came Ponyo-which had the most ridiculous premise and seemed to have the sole purpose of promoting the little Jonas and Cyrus in the English dub.  (SPOILER WARNING) The story is about a goldfish princess who meets a boy named Sosuke, falls in love with him, and decides that she wants to become human so that she can be with him forever.  This story is loosely-very loosely-based on The Little Mermaid, which is something we all know well.  A classic romance, right?  There's just one problem-Sosuke is five years old.  Five!  At the end of the movie, Sosuke must promise to always love Ponyo otherwise she'll turn into sea foam, and his mom and Ponyo's parents (the king and queen of the sea) all get together to see if he'll agree to this arranged marriage.  At five years old!  Of course he says yes...but how does a five year old boy, who hasn't even reached his "girls have cooties" stage, know what a big commitment he's making?  When he grows up and actually finds out what romantic love is, he's going to be stuck with a goldfish!  What if he ends up only loving her as a friend, and meets someone else he would want to be with?  I don't mind sappy romance stories that have the idea that love lasts forever, but come on, they're much too young for this (or Sosuke is, anyway; who knows how age works for Ponyo.  Maybe, since she's a fish, she'll only live for a couple of years).  Sure, you can argue that since he knows who he's going to end up with, he'll just grow to love her and won't even need to worry about other girls, but it's still a weird idea.  Along with this matter, the general storyline of the movie is just plain boring.  Since Ponyo ran away to the human world, her daddy is trying to get her back to the ocean, so there's a huge storm during the night and the sea level rises to flood most of the town.  Sosuke's mom went over to the nursing home where she helps out to check on the elderly ladies and gets stranded there overnight, so Sosuke and Ponyo go to find her.  There's also something about the moon getting too close to the earth and causing the tide to rise too much, but this plot point wasn't memorable enough for me to remember.  Overall I feel like they spent all of their energy in the animation-which, to be fair, was just as good as any of the other films-and neglected the story.  It felt too stretched out in the middle and too rushed at the end for it to be enjoyable.  I haven't watched the original Japanese dub, but I doubt that it would make much difference.

Currently, Hayao's son, Goro Miyazaki, has taken over directing/animating, and here we arrive at my main issue: Tales from Earthsea, which was released in America last summer (2010).  I had seen the trailer for the movie and thought that, after Ponyo, this would be another epic story that would reflect the true potential of Miyazaki's and Studio Ghibli's genius.  Unfortunately, it only came out in a few select theaters across the US, and I was disappointed until I found it a couple of weeks ago on DVD.  I immediately bought it, and when I started watching the film I was enthusiastic, though I would soon change my opinion.  (SPOILER WARNING) It starts out by introducing the idea that, long ago, humans and dragons "were one", but eventually there was a division among them.  One group wanted to inhabit land only, while the others wished to stay out at sea.  Those who moved to land became humans and those who stayed behind became dragons.  Along with dragons, this universe has wizards and magic, and the idea is that one can obtain complete control over something with the knowledge of its true name (a big theme in fantasy).  However, in the setting of the movie, the wizards are forgetting the true names of things such as the wind and rain and can no longer control them, even losing their magic powers, and dragons are appearing again and fighting amongst themselves.  It seemed like this would be a really interesting plot for the movie, but, to my great disappointment, these ideas basically die out and go nowhere.

We meet our main protagonist, Prince Arren (pronounced like "Aaron" in the English dub and "Ah-ren" in the original Japanese), who runs away from home because he spontaneously murders his father, the king, and steals his sword, which can only be drawn out of its sheath by someone who has great magical powers-or something along those lines.  He travels with his nameless mount, which looks rather like Yakul from Princess Mononoke (this is the best picture I can find of it; it looks rather like a llama crossed with some sort of deer), and eventually meets a man named Sparrowhawk, who we later learn is the Arch Mage-the most powerful wizard in the land.  After coming to a city, Arren saves a girl from slave traders, but while fighting them he says something along the lines of "I don't care if I die", which ticks her off because she thinks that he doesn't value life when, in fact, he's just being emo since he's possessed and/or being stalked by some unseen shadowy force.  Unfortunately for her, Arren and Sparrowhawk show up at the place she's staying, which is the home of Sparrowhawk's lady friend, Tenar.

The main villain-wizard eventually appears, and is so genderly confused that in the Japanese she's a woman and in the English he's a man (as in having a female/male voice actor, respectively).  Cob (as [s]he is named) is a rather useless villain; along with having a completely nonthreatening name, Cob has a very weak motivation for trying to catch Sparrowhawk, and commands very pathetic henchmen: the slave traders.  For some reason they work for Cob (though I have no idea why an evil wizard would care about human trafficking, it's not like [s]he uses them for anything), and although they run into Arren and the girl he saved-whose name is Therru (pronounced "Terru")-several times, the worst they do is threaten them and trample a garden.  They could have taken advantage of finding the two kids, who are being watched over by Sparrowhawk (though after awhile he leaves to get information, or some other stupid move that leaves his charges defenseless), and kidnapped them to lure Sparrowhawk to Cob's castle.  But no, that would make too much sense.  Instead, they come back later to kidnap Tenar and only tie Therru to the fence (Arren ran away because he's being chased by whatever-it-is).  It ultimately makes no difference who they kidnap and leave behind, because all four of them end up at Cob's castle within a few hours.  Cob finds Arren and tricks him into giving up his true name, and promises to give him the secret of eternal life, which he tells Arren will allow him to be free from fear and the guilt of killing his father.  Sparrowhawk gets captured after coming to save Arren (he shouldn't have left the kid alone in the first place), and Therru is visited by the thing that was chasing Arren-which turns out to be his soul or his heart or whatever, since Arren was taken over by a shadow and the good part of his soul was left behind, or something like that-and is told to bring Arren his magical sword.

So everyone is now in one place; Cob is going to kill Sparrowhawk, Arren is going to fight Cob and now has the will to live, and he and Therru share their true names with each other to show their bond/closeness.  Arren and Therru climb up to the top of the tower where Cob is planning to make Sparrowhawk jump to his death, and Arren is able to draw the magic sword.  He cuts off Cob's arm, which somehow breaks Cob's magic and reveals him(her) to be ridiculously old and, for some reason, eyeless.  But wasn't this story supposed to have dragons in it?  Throughout almost two hours there has only been one dragon scene, and that was in the first five minutes!  Well, it turns out that Therru is actually a dragon, and she transforms so that she can flame Cob (literally)-who mistakenly thinks that she will grant him(her) immortality.  Too bad for you.  Therru flies off with Arren, and after only about two minutes of her being a dragon, Arren hugs her and she changes back into a girl.  Seriously?!  The cover of this movie shows her as a dragon, and she's only in dragon form for two minutes!  Whatever, the movie is pretty much over at this point, and I stopped caring awhile ago.

To sum it up, Tales from Earthsea was a pretty big letdown.  In the beginning it looked like it was going to be really cool, but as the movie wore on it ended up having lame villians, main characters who made poor choices (Sparrowhawk is always leaving Arren unprotected and having to save him later, and Arren is an un-dynamic wimp), and the false advertisement of dragons when the story only briefly mentions them.  The animation and artwork is fine, and Goro has a slightly different, individual style from his father (though he ended up stealing lots of character designs from his father's previous works), but good animation alone is not enough to make the movie.  Hopefully Goro will improve over time, because I don't want to continue being disappointed with these movies.