I was glued to the TV, mesmerized...

Rating: 10/10 (25 March 2006)

In the past I have felt I could admire Japanese anime for the effort it put forth but never was really a fan. The characters looked childish, stiff and jittery most of the time. From the limited ones I have seen they were quirky and too much "in your face". But Princess Mononoke, WOW! I was channel surfing and saw it on the Cartoon Network and I could not stop watching it. I even kept bugging my wife (NOT a cartoon fan) saying, "Honey, you have to see this, just watch a little more!" even when she was trying to make dinner. I won't take the time to repeat what others have said about this film (yes, I said film, not cartoon) but please read them as they are all very accurate. What I want to add is the "feel" of this movie. It takes its time very well. There are pauses that are very natural to human beings which allow you to feel the essence of the story. And the mystical moments of the film, and there are many, made you "feel" what the characters felt. It was purely enjoyable. The closest movie I can relate it too was the feel of some of the eerie yet mesmerizing moments in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It has that tempo, that timing of a good Spielberg movie. I don't know how Miyazake did it. Nothing was rushed but it didn't feel slow, it felt perfectly timed. Well, that's all I wanted to add. Again, I agree with all of the reviews I read, even the criticisms of voice choices. Enjoy this movie!