Princess Mononoke (1997) [Studio Ghibli]

Claire Danes (The Mod Squad), Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting), and Billy Bob Thornton (Armageddon, Sling Blade) head a cast of hot Hollywood stars who lend their talents to this exquisitely animated, overwhelmingly acclaimed adventure epic! Inflicted with a deadly curse, a young warrior named Ashitaka (Billy Crudup — Without Limits) sets out for the forests of the west in search of the cure that will save his life.

Once there, he becomes inextricably entangled in a bitter battle that matches Lady Eboshi (Driver) and a proud clan of humans against the forest’s animal gods, who are led by the brave Princess Mononoke (Danes), a young woman raised by wolves! Also starring Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) and Jada Pinkett Smith (Scream 2), this monumental struggle between man and nature will have you transfixed as stunning artistry blends with epic storytelling to create a uniquely entertaining motion picture!

This epic, animated 1997 fantasy has already made history as the top-grossing domestic feature ever released in Japan, where its combination of mythic themes, mystical forces, and ravishing visuals tapped deeply into cultural identity and contemporary, ecological anxieties. For international animation and anime fans, Princess Mononoke represents an auspicious next step for its revered creator, Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service), an acknowledged anime pioneer, whose painterly style, vivid character design, and stylized approach to storytelling take ambitious, evolutionary steps here.

Set in medieval Japan, Miyazaki’s original story envisions a struggle between nature and man. The march of technology, embodied in the dark iron forges of the ambitious Tatara clan, threatens the natural forces explicit in the benevolent Great God of the Forest and the wide-eyed, spectral spirits he protects. When Ashitaka, a young warrior from a remote, and endangered, village clan, kills a ravenous, boar-like monster, he discovers the beast is in fact an infectious “demon god,” transformed by human anger. Ashitaka’s quest to solve the beast’s fatal curse brings him into the midst of human political intrigues as well as the more crucial battle between man and nature.

Miyazaki’s convoluted fable is clearly not the stuff of kiddie matinees, nor is the often graphic violence depicted during the battles that ensue. If some younger viewers (or less attentive older ones) will wish for a diagram to sort out the players, Miyazaki’s atmospheric world and its lush visual design are reasons enough to watch. For the English-language version, Miramax assembled an impressive vocal cast including Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup (as Ashitaka), Claire Danes (as San), Minnie Driver (as Lady Eboshi), Billy Bob Thornton, and Jada Pinkett Smith. They bring added nuance to a very different kind of magic kingdom. Recommended for ages 12 and older. –Sam Sutherland

Princess Mononoke Review

It is difficult to be profound about a movie that has been written about so much. Much of which has been written is rather obvious. Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke, although it is an adult oriented film in terms of complexity, it has something for everyone. Princess Mononoke is appealing on many levels because much like other anime features like Armitage III, Ghost in the Shell, and Akira, Princess Mononoke also confronts the issue of technology head on. However, what is unique here is that Miyazaki problematizes the duality of man vs. nature really expanding the problem to man within nature and calling for a sense of co-operation. Again, While other movies like Armitage III, Ghost in the Shell, and Akira are a shade darker than most, Mononoke is laced with hope and reconstruction.

Based on our epistemological framework we are looking for good vs. evil. We are always trying to set things up in a space of binary oppositions. Most viewers are looking to make things “simple.” Juxtaposed against our longing for the simplistic, Miyazaki doesn’t make judgements about good or evil. Miyazkai simply asks many questions. It is really unfair to make any direct comparison but the reason this genre is appealing to a wider audience is that this genre and the movies that are produced within it are more “realistic” than the more common Disney animations offerings.

Another sub-theme is the healing power of nature which is superior to the human need to conquer and control. Susan Napier writes: “At a more complex level, films such as Princess Mononoke actually works to resist and even confront certain public stereotypes, inspiring huge numbers of moviegoers to look at some of the myths of modern Japan in a more critical way.” The movie zeroes in on ecological issues, a far cry from the stereotypes we have of Japan as a giant impersonal machine. Along this same lines, the big four (listed previously) warn us just as much about the march of modernity and technology. In Princess Mononoke, it seems like Miyazaki is setting up a battle between man and nature. My sense is that it is man in nature.

No doubt, this is a complex movie. The interplay between Asitaka, Mononoke and Lady Eboshi is not a simple one. Within the confines of the story, no one character is all bad or all good. All the characters are multi-dimensional and not one character is a caricature. A pivotal character is Lady Eboshi. Lady Eboshi’s involvement with Iron Town is not be dismissed as trivial. How is the viewer going to reconcile Lady Eboshi’s agenda and altruism? The beauty and wonder of Princess Mononoke is not so much that it provides answers but that it poses deep questions. For this reason alone (and there are many) Princess Mononoke can be classified as a work of art and it will survive the ravages of time.

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