It’s a win-LeGuin scenario!

I love looking forward to the movies. That’s why I always arrive at theaters in time to watch all of the previews and never skip the coming attractions on dvd. High on my list of this summer’s most promising pics is TALES FROM EARTHSEA. Are you as excited as I am for this union of Ursula K. Leguin and Studio Ghibli? Rated PG-13, TALES will open on August 13th. (In Seattle, it will screen exclusively at The Harvard Exit.) Here’s the official synopsis…

From famed Japanese animators Studio Ghibli [specifically, director Goro Miyazaki] comes TALES FROM EARTHSEA, a sweeping adventure set in a mythical world filled with magic and bewitchment. An epic tale of redemption and self-discovery, the story follows the journey of Lord Archmage Sparrowhawk (voice of Timothy Dalton), the master wizard, as he searches for the force behind a mysterious disturbance that has caused an imbalance in the land of Earthsea—suddenly crops and livestock are dwindling, dragons have reappeared and humanity is giving way to chaos. Along the way he rescues Arren (voice of Matt Levin), a troubled young prince who has fled his home and is being pursued by an enigmatic shadow. Arren joins Sparrowhawk on the quest and, moving closer to their intertwined destinies, they cross paths with Tenar (voice of Mariska Hargitay), a former priestess, and her disfigured adopted daughter, Therru. With Sparrowhawk’s magical powers dissipating, all of them must band together to defeat the evil Cob (voice of Willem Dafoe) and his henchman Hare (voice of Cheech Marin) before Cob’s mania to find immortality destroys Earthsea.