This week, I wanted to give a shout out to a masterwork from Miyazaki Hayao (宮崎 駿), the greatest animated film director of all time, the amazing Princess Mononoke:
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One of the most popular animated films in its native Japan, "Princess Mononoke" is an epic low fantasy jidaigeki (period drama) set in the Muromachi period. Developed from Miyazaki's idea from the 1970s of a girl living in the woods with a monster, this film follows Ashitaka, the last Emishi prince, who slays a demon in order to protect his people but ends up cursed as a result. The curse gives Ashitaka supernatural powers, but will spread through his body and eventually kill him.
Now, Ashitaka must voyage far to the west to discover where the demon came from and to face his destiny. The young wanderer finds a land filled with chaos and becomes embroiled in a sinister and deadly conflict between gods, monsters, men and the Emperor. With all sides out for blood, the prince must somehow "see with eyes unclouded by hate."
One of the greatest and most famous animated films of all time, "Princess Mononoke" was a huge critical and commercial success (briefly the highest-grossing film of all time in Japan, until overtaken by "Titanic") and greatly expanded the profile of Studio Ghibli in the West. In addition to the gorgeously animated and eye popping visuals (approximately 144,000 cels were used in the film, of which Messr Miyazaki redrew parts of an estimated 80,000 cels!), "Princess Mononoke" stands out because of its imaginative, intricate and complex story. Whilst the main plot covers the struggle between the protectors of an ancient forest and the humans who consume its resources, there are multiple factions with their own agendas.
However, what makes the film's story really stand out is that the story is not a simplistic tale of good and evil but contains many shades of grey as each faction fights for control of the future. For example, Lady Eboshi, the presumptive villain of the piece, has liberated and given a new life to dozens of prostitutes and lepers. Moreover, she genuinely cares about her people and wants the forest's resources to secure their wellbeing.
Many other characters are well realized and three dimensional too, even relatively minor ones. This gives the places in the film a more grounded and lived in feeling.
Yet another thing that makes "Princess Mononoke" special is that, in an era where computer-generated imagery (CGI) is becoming dominant in animation, this film is a throwback to Old school Japanese style anime that is mostly traditional hand drawn animation. Messr Miyazaki insisted that CGI be limited to 10% of the film. Moreover, the computer animated parts are designed to blend in and support the traditional animation, and are mainly used to give the film a more live action feel, using images consisting of a mixture of CGI and traditional drawing.
Friends urged Messr Miyazaki to make "Princess Mononoke" before his health prevented him from making an action film and boy did the master deliver! From the brisk opening scene through multiple battles and the thrilling climax, the action is crisp, clever and superbly choreographed. And, more often than not, fights end in unexpected ways.
So, if you are a fan of Old School Japanese animation, low fantasy, Japanese history and/or interesting and outstanding stories, you owe it to yourself to watch the master at the top of his game in this film!
Now, Ashitaka must voyage far to the west to discover where the demon came from and to face his destiny. The young wanderer finds a land filled with chaos and becomes embroiled in a sinister and deadly conflict between gods, monsters, men and the Emperor. With all sides out for blood, the prince must somehow "see with eyes unclouded by hate."
One of the greatest and most famous animated films of all time, "Princess Mononoke" was a huge critical and commercial success (briefly the highest-grossing film of all time in Japan, until overtaken by "Titanic") and greatly expanded the profile of Studio Ghibli in the West. In addition to the gorgeously animated and eye popping visuals (approximately 144,000 cels were used in the film, of which Messr Miyazaki redrew parts of an estimated 80,000 cels!), "Princess Mononoke" stands out because of its imaginative, intricate and complex story. Whilst the main plot covers the struggle between the protectors of an ancient forest and the humans who consume its resources, there are multiple factions with their own agendas.
However, what makes the film's story really stand out is that the story is not a simplistic tale of good and evil but contains many shades of grey as each faction fights for control of the future. For example, Lady Eboshi, the presumptive villain of the piece, has liberated and given a new life to dozens of prostitutes and lepers. Moreover, she genuinely cares about her people and wants the forest's resources to secure their wellbeing.
Many other characters are well realized and three dimensional too, even relatively minor ones. This gives the places in the film a more grounded and lived in feeling.
Yet another thing that makes "Princess Mononoke" special is that, in an era where computer-generated imagery (CGI) is becoming dominant in animation, this film is a throwback to Old school Japanese style anime that is mostly traditional hand drawn animation. Messr Miyazaki insisted that CGI be limited to 10% of the film. Moreover, the computer animated parts are designed to blend in and support the traditional animation, and are mainly used to give the film a more live action feel, using images consisting of a mixture of CGI and traditional drawing.
Friends urged Messr Miyazaki to make "Princess Mononoke" before his health prevented him from making an action film and boy did the master deliver! From the brisk opening scene through multiple battles and the thrilling climax, the action is crisp, clever and superbly choreographed. And, more often than not, fights end in unexpected ways.
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