This impressive work from acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki represents a significant departure from traditional anime. Foregoing the gritty storylines, extreme violence, and adult content found throughout many anime, Miyazaki's works borrow as much from fairy tales as they do from science fiction. Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind is no exception. Centuries after nuclear war has devastated the earth, Princess Nausicaa leads the people of the Valley of the Wind. Feuding clans fight with planes and tanks as well as swords in a world that is both primitive and futuristic. In addition to her people's conflicts with other factions, Nausicaa must also contend with the Ohmu, a race of giant, intelligent insects living in a forest overrun by a glowing mutant fungus that poisons the atmosphere. This two disc special edition is rendered in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and is playable in English or in Japanese with optional English subtitles with audio tracks that are THX-Certified, including THX Optimizer. This release also comes with complete storyboards, original Japanese trailers, a featurette on Studio Ghibli, and a behind-the-scenes segment on voice acting with Alison Lohman, Uma Thurman, Patrick Stewart, and Wdward James Olmos from the English voice cast.

Princess Mononoke arrives on DVD in a widescreen anamorphic format (1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio enhanced for 16 x 9 television) and these audio tracks: Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), and French (Dolby Digital 2.0), with English subtitles. The DVD is dual-layered with an astonishingly clear and crisp picture that really brings out the animated magic of the film. Sound quality is consistently good with particularly clear and bass-resonant music, particularly during the action scenes. Special features are limited to theatrical trailers and a "making of" featurette. A glossy insert in the cover of the plastic DVD case lists the chapter index.