Tales from Earthsea

NZ release: 29 July 2006

Medium level violence Rated on: 19 April 2007

Gedo senki

tales from earthsea

What’s it about?

In a mythical land, a wizard rescues a runaway prince, who both set out to investigate their world’s imbalance and defeat an evil foe who seeks to find immortality and destroy Earthsea.

The facts 

  • Directed by Gorô Miyazaki
  • Japanese language, with English subtitles
  • Runtime: 115 minutes
  • Animated film by Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Ponyo)

Why did it get this rating? 

This film was cross-rated by the Film and Video Labelling Body. You can find out more about cross-rating here.

Medium level violence

A person is stabbed by a sword and blood pours from the wound, creating a puddle. A severed hand flies into the air and cartoon blood is shown.

A villain’s arm is cut off, showing their bone, but there is no blood.

There is a scene where a boy stabs and kills his father, but it is not graphic.

One boy has a nightmare where his friends become evil and turn into oil before he drowns, but he wakes up and is fine.

Mature themes

A young girl is caught by slave traders, who talk about “having a good time” with her. They grab at her clothes but are interrupted before anything happens to her.

When content stays with you: 

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.  

Further information 

Recent featured decisions

28 August 2026

Suicide, offensive language, and violence

When his eight-year-old son is abducted, a widowed crime writer turns to his estranged father for help – only to discover a connection with the decades-old case of a convicted serial killer known as "The Whisper Man”.

Read more

05 August 2026

Violence, offensive language & content that may disturb

In a post-apocalyptic world, a virus wipes out humanity. Survivors face roaming scavengers called Reapers. Protagonist Hig, a pilot, survived the flu but lost his wife.

Read more