Princess Mononoke
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This film, which has an undisputed place among Hayao Miyazaki's masterpieces, broke box office records when it was released in Japan in 1997 and proved to the whole world Decently how deep and mature animation can be as an art form. It should not be evaluated merely as a cartoon, but rather as a philosophical work that questions human nature and existential contradictions. The story takes place in a legendary land reminiscent of Japan's Muromachi period. An unfortunate incident befalls the young warrior Ashitaka, propelling him beyond everything he knows, to the edge of the unknown. Driven by the fear of Decadence, disease and death, this young man finds himself in the midst of an ever-deepening conflict: the relentless battle between humanity's desire to build civilization and the ancient and silent rage of the forest. Miyazaki masterfully rejects the conventional hero-villain dichotomy in this film. A complex world is unfolding before us, where both humans and nature are right, and both sides are experiencing their own pain. Lady Eboshi is strong, charismatic and someone who wants the good of her society; Princess Mononoke is the voice of brutality and the forest, the rebellion of a child abandoned by civilization. Caught between these two figures, Ashitaka tries to understand rather than make a decision, seeking dialogue rather than violence. This perspective takes the film from a run-of-the-mill good-versus-evil tale to a completely different place. The visual language also supports this theme. The lush greenery of the forest, the strange beauty of the living gods, the brutal realism of the battle scenes... Studio Ghibli's meticulous hand-drawn aesthetic reaches its peak here. Joe Hisaishi's music adds that indescribable melancholic depth to the narrative. Today, when environmental disasters, urbanization and the disconnected relationship established with nature have become an everyday reality, everything the film says has a much heavier meaning. Works that remain so vivid in viewers' hearts for over two decades are rare; the reason is simple: They speak to something real.
JP
Studio G...
dentsu
Tokuma S...
Nippon T...
Nibariki
TNDG
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Reviews
Andres Gomez
November 26, 2013
10/10
Probably the best movie from Miyazaki. A mixture of old Japanese traditions with the story about the conflict between the industrial human being and the preservation of the Nature.
tmdb79319797
December 13, 2020
10/10
Hayao Miyazaki's arts have always something to remember us that we are naturally harmonized with mother earth and existences. There is still a bond, if one is hurt another, it means the one suffer itself as well.
Niemand
August 06, 2023
/10
Original title: Mononoke Hime The film is set in the 14th Century during Japan’s Muromachi Period. Young Prince Ashitaka, the last royal of his line, slays a wild boar that is about to attack his village. The boar, demonised because it was consumed by rage and hatred, infects the young Prince, who will eventually become demonised too. He leaves the village to find a cure in the form of Shishigami, a deer-like god. On his journey he realises that the latent rage and hatred within him, wh...
CinemaSerf
August 27, 2023
7/10
When a village is tormented by a wild boar, it falls to the young "Ashitaka" to sort it out. Turns out though, that it isn't an ordinary beast - and in the fight the man is afflicted with a curse that requires his journey to the great tree god to put right. His travels lead him to the unscrupulous "Lady Eboshi" who has developed a smelting process that enables her to make guns - giving her not only advantage against the other local clans, but also helping her on her quest to kill the gods and th...
hamfaceman
January 04, 2024
9/10
This is my favorite movie from Miyazaki. The visuals are great. The characters are great. The voice acting (English version) is great. The animation is great. Music is great. The story is good. Everything about this movie is so cool and it's just really fun to watch.
Dr_Nostromo
November 18, 2025
7/10
75/100 A young man's search for a cure to a curse, received when he killed a boar demon god, leads him into the middle of a war between humans, beasts, gods and demons. This full length Japanese anime was far better than I expected it would be. The characters were very complex, the motives of all the parties involved made perfect sense, making the whole concept of doing the right thing a very fuzzy area, the animation was fantastic, and the story was varied and full. Quite nice. -- DrNostromo...
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Frequently Asked Questions
Princess Mononoke was released in 1997.
Princess Mononoke has a runtime of 2 hr 14 min (134 minutes).
Princess Mononoke belongs to the following genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Animation.
Princess Mononoke has a rating of 8.3/10 from 9,041 votes on TMDB.
In the United States, Princess Mononoke is available to watch on: HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, HBO Max, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store.