Princess Mononoke [videorecording]

2000. Miramax Films release ; Tokuma Shoten Nippon Television Network ; Dentsu & Studio Ghibli present a Studio Ghibli production ; a Hayao Miyazaki film ; produced by Toshio Suzuki ; directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Burbank, CA : Miramax Home Entertainment : distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

Plot Summary: An epic story of man vs. nature, Princess Mononoke is a convoluted and complex story set in medieval Japan. To save his village Ashitaka kills a forest demon, but in the process is injured. The poison in the wound is caused by the hatred in the demon, who was once a forest god but was injured by a human bullet. Ashitaka leaves his village seeking a cure and finds himself embroiled in a war between the great forest spirits and human activity.

Critical evaluation: Princess Mononoke is a visually elaborate and beautiful work of mostly hand-drawn animation. The characters are complex—not purely good or evil. For example, Lady Eboshi, leader of Irontown and killer of forest spirits takes in prostitutes and lepers to work in her colony. Ashitaka is poisoned when he kills a forest spirit, but he only kills it to rescue his village. As one character puts it, “Life is suffering, the world is cursed.” Highly recommended.

Reader’s Annotation: A beautiful animated tale dealing with of heroes, forest spirits, and environmentalism.

About the author: Hiyao Miyazaki is one of Japan’s greatest animation directors and is highly renowned for his animated films. Miyazaki was born in 1941 and grew up in a neighborhood of Tokyo where his father was president of an airplane company. He graduated from Gakushuin University, with degrees in political science and economics, but was already interested in anime. Shortly after graduation he got a job as an artist in an animation company, where he worked on many different projects. His films include Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neibor Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service. Miyzaki is also a co-founder of Studio Ghibli, an animation studio and production company. Common themes in his field are ecology and man’s impact on nature, a fascination with flight (Princess Mononoki is one film where this is not evident), pacifism, and morally ambiguous characters, especially villains.

Miyazaki’s film are almost entirely hand drawn and his art is primarily done in watercolors. During his earlier films he would personally review each and every frame, often redrawing them (he had to give this up as he got older). According to Wikipedia, Miyazaki states that the Western authors that influenced him the most are Ursula Le Guin (especially The Wizard of Earthsea), Lewis Carroll and Diana Wynne Jones. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayao_Miyazaki)

Genre: Fantasy, animated.

Curriculum ties: N/A

Booktalking Ideas: Ashitaka is poisoned when he kills a demon threatening his village. But the demon was a god who was turned into a demon by human violence. How can man and nature coexist in peace?

Reading Level/Interest Age: Twelve and up.

Challenge issues: Princess Mononoke is Miyazaki’s most violent film and is rated PG-13.

Why included: Recommended by my daughter; also, a highly successful, award-winning film.