Miramax Films, Rated PG-13
Written and Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Adapted by Neil Gaiman
Princess Mononoke is a masterpiece of animation and quite possibly the best Japanese anime' film ever made (which is saying a lot after the greatness of Akira, Kiki's Delivery Service and others). The film is by Hayao Miyazaki, the Walt Disney of Japanese animation and he bests many recent Disney works in many ways, with an intriguingly complex and imaginative story matched by marvelous visuals.
The story takes place during the "Iron Age" in Japan, where workers toil for days in villages threatened by the creatures of the forest. These creatures can often be gargantuan in size and are believed to be ruled by a "forest spirit," who has never been seen by human eyes. Ashitaka (voiced by Billy Crudup), a brave young man, leaves his village after being attacked by a boar possessed by a demon and being left with the demon's mark. Evil grows inside his arm and he seeks out the forest spirit to be healed. He happens upon a village ruled by the kindly (at first) Lady Eboshi (Minnie Driver) who has taken care of this village and protected it from creatures of the forest and other invaders. Ashitaka also meets up with Jigo (Billy Bob Thornton), a hunter who seeks to kill the forest spirit for money. Jigo soon teams up with Eboshi and her warriors to cut off the head of the forest spirit. Eboshi seeks vengeance on the spirit and has taught her villagers to seek out this vengeance as well. Ashitaka then meets up with San (Claire Danes), a girl raised by wolves who is now more animal than human. She is also called by the name Princess Mononoke. Their friendship is begrudging at first but soon she and the rest of the forest animals, including her wolf mother (Gillian Anderson). They soon find themselves defending against the human invaders led by Eboshi.
The imagery in this film is unmatched by almost any animated film of recent memory. Nearly every frame is a work of art. The American voices range from perfect (Driver, Anderson) to miscast (Thornton). However, the complexity of this story, truly a fairy tale fantasy for adults, and the brilliance of the animation make it a true classic and one of the best films of 1999. ****
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