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Escaflowneis a sprawling adventure saga that infuses sword-and-sorcery and mecha elements into the popular "magical girl" anime genre. The girl is Hitomi Kanzaki (voice by Kelly Sheridan), a withdrawn teenager who wishes she could just leave everything behind and vanish. When she's magically transported to the alternate world of Gaia, she gets her wish--in spades. The dashing Van (Kirby Morrow) of the White Dragon Clan is pitted against his twisted brother Folken (Paul Dobson), the leader of the Black Dragon Clan, in a succession war that threatens the very existence of Gaia. Hitomi is hailed as the long-awaited "Wing Goddess," and her power over the invincible dragon-mecha suit Escaflowne confirms her status. Although the tangled story line has been pared down, the feature remains a reworking of the 26-part TV seriesThe Vision of Escaflowne, which aired briefly on Fox Kids and is available on DVD. Fans of the television series will find that many of the familiar characters have been redesigned and reduced to minor roles, among them Allen, Princess Millerna, Dryden, Merle, Naria, and Eriya. Some of the story's more outré elements have been dropped, but there are still more prophecies, conflicts, and relationships than the filmmakers can resolve satisfactorily in 96 minutes, despite a pat happy ending.Escaflowneboasts some impressive action sequences, which Kazuki Akane directs with panache. The film opens with a spectacular sword fight, as Van single-handedly dispatches the guards on an enemy airship to capture Escaflowne. MPAA rating: PG-13. Contains considerable violence.--Charles Solomon
My brush with Destiny I was astounded to find, when I ordered and watched this Special Edition of the Escaflowne Movie, in the footage of the US premiere at Anime Expo 2000, I am on the DVD during the footage of "The Line" and the Director's question and answer period before the Midnight showing of the movie. My kids and I are in the second row of the audience and can be seen during the audience entrance and the question period where the camera pans toward the back and back up front when they speak to another technician at the rear of the room. It is our moment of glory LOL.. I will never forget the opening scenes sitting there at the Disneyland Hotel. The beat of drums and the sound of the airships' engines. The thrill of expectation, to see the movie for the very first time of my favorite anime.
I have to say, I was disappointed in the changes made for the big screen, the character's personalities and character designs are not the same. A LOT of content was naturally condensed and dropped, due to the limitations of time, but Millerna as a space slut was NOT an improvement. Oh well, at least we're on the DVD. And they fixed the Pinnochio noses....
The Opposite Opinion OK, I see a lot of negative reviews for this film. I have to dissent. I have purchased the series on DVD and I have watched the film. I found the series to be disappointing and the movie much more to my liking.
First of all, in the series, other than being a Draconian and a King with no country van is just annoying and single minded. Except concerning Hitomi, who he can't seem to decide whether he likes her or is merely interested in her psychic skills.
Hitomi is whiny and fickle, flitting back and forth in her affections between Van and Allen the Knight. Allen is like a playboy himself, flitting back and forth between Princess Millerna and Hitomi. Not to mention he has an illegitimate son by Millerna's sister.
This series was like a soap opera/fantasy cross over that never really works that well and neglects some of the more interesting aspects of the series. Who are the Ispano and how do they make their suits of armor so different? Does Van EVER rebuild his kingdom, or is he going to wander around like an idiot forever?
Not to mention the constant furry-human love relations as Merle the cat girl is obviously obsessed with Van, which is a trait that runs in his family as his brother has TWO cat women in love with him.
The movie was faster paced and to the point. The characters were darker and had more flavor to them (except for hitomi, who is annoying in both), and the fact that those of Draconian blood have magic powers inherited from their Atlantean ancestors made them more special than simply having retractable wings that they are forced to hide.
Sorry, but over all I would have to say the movie was less detailed, but far more interesting to me. As for the Escaflowne armor not being in it much, it didn't help the series much as most of the time Escaflowne seemed to simply be an outdated version of these armors with the Zaibach Guymelefs being far superior.It Is What It Is Yes, this movie is a work of art but it seems that it wasn't made from scratch. I figure that this movie is sort of in the style of Rahxephon's movie, meaning it's almost like a recap of the series. So if you've seen the series you don't really need to see this. Watching it before the series make this movie a gigantic spoiler. When I was young gun in anime I saw this movie before Escaflowne the series and I could only imagine what the series would be like, so I can give a review not influenced by the series.
It blends so much that you really have no choice but to let your eye catch the beautiful but a bit spotty animation. The true magic that brings you in is the sort of calm feeling the depressed and suicidal Hitomi gives off in the beginning, though she's supposed to be those things she's really to meek to do any of it. I can't lie because it can get a little boring and dark with too much talking and badly dimmed scenes, even the heart pounding music cant bring you out of a power nap.
I have tried but for some reason I haven't been able to watch this movie more than a few times so I guess it's time to move on to the series. It's obvious that this film is not all close to it's original series but it is a nice way to get into wanting to see Escaflowne the TV series. It can get a little too dark and talkative at times. I really think there isn't enough action to keep you coming back to see this. Some of the boring stuff comes from them trying to re-explain stuff. Hitomi's character doesn't develop the way you want and she spends the entire movie being scared and a pain in the neck. Hitomi can really give you a headache with her whining too. This is still an Ok movie but not as good as expected and in a way it didn't need to be made but if it wasn't some would have never known about the amazing series.
