Set during the Muromachi Period (1333-1568) of Japan, Princess Mononoke is the tale of a mystical fight between humans and the Animal Gods of the forest.
On the side of the Animal Gods is San, a human girl raised by the wolf god Moro. On the side of the humans is Lady Eboshi (Eboshi-Gozen), building a kingdom for oppressed people by cutting down the forest for her iron-making operation.
In the midst of this fight for survival, Ashitaka, the last prince of a dying race, struggles to find a way for both sides to co-exist. But the fighting only becomes more and more bloody and all hope seems to be lost…
Aimed at a slightly older audience than most Ghibli fare, this epic folk tale shows the influence of Akira Kurosawa (a Miyazaki-fan himself) and of John Ford too. The film was the most successful ever at the Japanese box office (prior to Titanic), and named the film of the year in Japan’s equivalent to the Academy Awards.
Content Considerations: Graphic violence
Staff Pick: Alan & Sean
Complex, superbly rendered, and wildly eccentric — even by Miyazaki’s own standards.
J Hoberman, Village Voice
A symphony of action and images, a thrilling epic of warriors and monsters, forest creatures and magical spells, with an underlying allegory about the relationship of man and nature.
Roger Ebert
Media Partner
Hayao Miyazaki
Yoji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yuko Tanaka, Kaoru Kobayashi, Masahiko Nishimura
Japan
1997
In Japanese with English subtitles
Violence
Open to youth
Indigenous & Community Access
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Credits
Executive Producer
Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Seiichiro Ujiie, Yutaka Narita
Screenwriter
Hayao Miyazaki
Original Music
Joe Hisaishi
ANIMATION
Masashi Ando, Kitaro Kosaka, Yoshifumi Kondo
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